


The Ending They Should’ve Gotten

by wontysbby



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Confessions, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 36,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wontysbby/pseuds/wontysbby
Summary: What if Monty didn’t die? And what if he and Winston got a happy ending?
Relationships: Montgomery de la Cruz/Winston Williams
Comments: 100
Kudos: 303





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to my very first 13 Reasons Why/Wonty fanfic! 
> 
> Just a little info to make the story more clear:
> 
> -Monty is alive even if it doesn’t seem like it at the beginning.  
> -I know Monty did terrible, inexcusable things. He’ll face consequences for what he did to Tyler, but he won’t die.  
> -This is a Wonty fic, so they will end up together.  
> -This story is basically me just trying to patch my heart back together after Brian Yorkey broke it with how season 4 ended. 
> 
> And with that, I hope you enjoy! :)

"Monty had a secret. Bryce knew what it was." Ani finished saying, as Deputy Standall rubbed his hand across his face.

"The secret being his assault on Tyler?" Deputy Standall asked, even though he knew the answer.

Ani nodded, "Yes." 

"And that would drive Montgomery..." Deputy Standall paused for a moment. Trying to collect his thoughts as the girl continued to tell him lies, "To kill him?" 

"That, and a betrayal. He thought Bryce was his brother." Ani stated.

Deputy Standall shook his head, as he remembered one very important detail, "No, Monty had an alibi." 

"Talk to Charlie St. George, it won't hold up." Ani countered immediately. So quick, that Deputy Standall wondered how she was able to lie to him with such ease.

Deputy Standall let out a heavy sigh, "So, you're telling me Montgomery de la Cruz..." he trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"Process of elimination." Ani went on to describe in detail what each and every suspect was doing at the time Bryce was murdered.

"If you search through Monty's things, his room, perhaps his football locker, I imagine you'll find what Bryce wanted to give to Jessica Davis. And I imagine Bryce's blood will be on it." Ani said, once she was done telling Deputy Standall the suspect's whereabouts.

"We've already searched his locker-" Deputy Standall began, but Ani cut him off.

"For steroids." 

Deputy Standall looked toward the ground, then reached up to turn the tape recorder off.

"Montgomery de la Cruz killed Bryce Walker." Ani said as the final statement in her testimony.

"It would be a terrible thing to blame the wrong person for Bryce's murder." Deputy Standall sighed.

"Yet, you were all ready to blame Clay Jensen." Ani pointed out.

Deputy Standall slowly nodded. He understood that this so called evidence Ani had gathered was solid, even if it wasn't the truth. Deputy Standall chose his next words very carefully as a plan formed in his mind.

"I don't think you would know this, because the Sheriff has us locked down on leaks." 

He knew that he was risking his entire career by saying what he was about to say, "But Montgomery de la Cruz was killed in his jail cell. Just hours ago." He lied.

Ani gasped, "Oh god. Poor Monty." 

After a few more minutes of Ani trying to convince Deputy Standall to let the dead bury the dead, she left the police station. 

As soon as she was gone, Deputy Standall shot out of the room, quickly making his way to Monty's cell. Once he got there, he looked inside to see Monty sitting on the bed, with his head in his hands.

"De la Cruz." He whispered sternly and Monty immediately looked up. The fear in his eyes was evident.

"What?" Monty asked, confused, as Deputy Standall opened the door to his cell.

"Come with me. Be quiet." Deputy Standall grabbed onto Monty's orange prison uniform shirt and began dragging him down the hall.

"W-Where are we going?" Monty asked, his voice shaking.

"I said, be quiet." Deputy Standall reprimanded him as he continued to pull the boy toward the back entrance of the police station. 

Deputy Standall pushed the door open, making sure to be as quiet as he could. As soon as they were outside, Monty looked up into the night sky that was splattered with stars. It was just after midnight when Ani left.

By the time they made their way to Deputy Standall's truck, Monty was beyond confused. 

Deputy Standall motioned for Monty to get in the passenger side. Once he was inside the car, he began to ask questions.

"What the hell's going on? Where are we going?" Monty asked from the passenger seat.

"Did you kill Bryce Walker?" Deputy Standall asked as he drove the truck out of the parking lot. 

Deputy Standall kept his eyes on the road, so he didn't see Monty turn and look at him with wide eyes.

"What? No. No, of course not. He was like a brother to me." Monty stammered out.

"I know." Deputy Standall assured him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Monty was looking outside the window, watching all the places in town zoom by. Deputy Standall's fingers turned white from how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel.

When they finally reached their destination, Monty was hesitant to get out of the car. They were in the middle of the woods, at night. It wasn't exactly the type of place you'd want to be.

He stepped out of the car slowly, "Did you take me out here to kill me?"

"No." Deputy Standall answered simply, as he began to kick the ground, "I know it's around here somewhere..." His foot made a clinking noise, as if he'd hit metal.

"There it is." Deputy Standall reached down to open a small hatch in the ground, which revealed an underground bunker.

Monty walked over to the bunker.

"What the fuck is going on?" Monty asked as he looked down into it.

"My father was always super crazy about nuclear warfare. Convinced us all that some country would nuke us and we'd need a way to survive it. He spent almost every day after work building this."

"That still doesn't tell me what we're doing here." Monty said.

"I need you to get into the bunker." Deputy Standall stated and Monty looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Why? You can't seriously except me to get into that pit!" Monty exclaimed.

"Kid, listen, one of your former classmates just came into the station and gave a grueling thirteen hour testimony about how you killed Bryce Walker with some pretty convincing evidence that a jury will eat up." Deputy Standall said and Monty's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"But, I-I didn't kill him!" Monty tried to say, but Deputy Standall held up his hand to get him to stop.

"I know, I know, and I will find a way to prove that, but for right now, no one can know where you are. No one can even know you're alive. You're life was already at risk being in there for raping that Down kid." 

Monty looked down, clearly ashamed, "How long would I have to stay down there?" 

"As long as it takes. It's fully stocked, kid, you won't have to worry about starving. There's light and plumbing. Hell, it's probably a better place to stay than that damn cell. Plus, I'll come by every so often to check on you." Deputy Standall said and Monty begrudgingly nodded.

"Fine." Monty finally said.

Deputy Standall stepped down the ladder into the bunker, with Monty following behind him.

There was a twin bed in the corner, shelves of provisions, and a door that lead to a bathroom.

"I'll be back tomorrow, alright?" Deputy Standall placed his hand on Monty's shoulder. Monty flinched away.

"Whatever." Monty walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Assuming his earlier position with his head in his hands.

Deputy Standall climbed up the ladder, before turning around, "Maybe tomorrow you can tell me where you actually were the night of Bryce's death." 

Monty looked up so fast, his head made a cracking noise. He looked terrified.

I'm so screwed, he thought to himself.


	2. Part 2

Monty stared up at the ceiling of the bunker. He put his hands behind his head as he thought about what he was possibly going tell Deputy Standall tomorrow. He knew he should tell him about Winston, but the thought terrified him. His dad would kill him if he knew what really happened the night Bryce died.

It was cold in the bunker and the thin green blanket wasn't keeping him warm, but it was still better than being stuck in that jail cell. He never felt safe there, especially when it got around to the other prisoners that he was a 'child' rapist. He'd tried denying it, since it wasn't true, but no one would listen. 

He knew that what he did to Tyler was wrong and if he could take it back, he would. He was just so angry and he let the rage take over. He barely remembered any of it, it all seemed blurry in his mind. 

Why is Deputy Standall trying to help me? Monty thought to himself.

All the thoughts that came in and out of his mind eventually slowed and he was able to get a few hours of sleep before the sound of the bunker being opened woke him up. Deputy Standall descended the ladder.

"Morning." Deputy Standall greeted him with a small smile that Monty didn't return.

Deputy Standall had a plate covered in foil in one hand and a bag in the other as he made his way over to where Monty was still laying in bed. He placed the plate on the bed next to Monty and uncovered the foil. 

The mouthwatering smell of bacon and eggs made Monty sit up and begin devouring the food. He was starving after eating nothing but prison food for three days.

"Woah, slow down, kid. The food's not going anywhere." Deputy Standall joked as he sat down on the bed next to Monty.

"You ready to tell me where you actually were the night Bryce was-" Deputy Standall tried to ask but Monty grimaced and cut him off.

"I was at Charlie St. George's place." Monty said quickly, before shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth.

"You and I both know that's not true." Deputy Standall said.

Monty closed his eyes for a second, then put his now empty plate onto the floor. He rubbed his face with his hands and muttered something to Deputy Standall that he couldn't quite understand.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Deputy Standall asked as he leaned closer.

Monty's face contorted as if he was in pain when he spoke, "I was with a boy from Hillcrest. I went over to his house after the game." 

Deputy Standall nodded in approval, happy that he was getting somewhere, "Do you know the name of this boy?" 

"Winston Williams." Monty said, barely above a whisper.

"And if I were to talk to this Winston Williams, he would confirm you were with him?" Deputy Standall questioned.

Monty was quiet for a second. He didn't want to get Winston involved in this, but he knew that if he didn't, he might not ever be free again. 

I might not ever get to see Winston again. The terrifying thought filled his mind.

"Yes." Monty sighed.

Deputy Standall stood up and grabbed the bag he came in with. He set it down by Monty and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. It was an oversized hoodie and a pair of large grey sweatpants.

"They're Alex's. I figured you probably don't want to be stuck in those prison clothes any longer. I know they might not be the same size, but I tried to pick clothes I knew he wouldn't miss 'cause they didn't fit him." He laid the clothes out on the bed. Monty didn't move.

"I'll be going then, I'll be back tomorrow morning." Deputy Standall walked over to the ladder and began climbing up.

"Thank you." He heard Monty say from across the bunker.

"Of course." He smiled as he opened the hatch and climbed out.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston gets a mysterious text from an unknown number about getting justice for Monty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positive comments! I’m really happy you guys like where this story is going :)

Winston was walking down the street when he saw it. Students from Liberty were celebrating something inside Monet's. From what he could see, they were all staring in awe at pictures hung on the wall. 

How dare they be celebrating anything when just a few days ago, Monty was... Winston pushed the sad thoughts down and tried to put on a brave face as he texted Ani to meet him outside.

He saw her look down at her phone, before glancing around and making her way to the doors. She stepped outside and Winston turned to face her.

"What did you tell the cops?" Winston demanded.

"Look, Winston-" She tried to say.

"He didn't kill Bryce. He was with me." Winston breath hitched in his throat. His mind was flooded with images of that night. The best night of his life.

"What did you tell them?" He asked.

"Winston... He was already gone." She explained.

"He was a human being, okay? He was a human being. He didn't deserve to die like that." Winston said and Ani nodded.

"I know." She said solemnly.

Winston turned away from her and walked away, not wanting to hear her voice anymore. 

He knew what Monty did was wrong, but he didn't murder anybody and he definitely didn't deserve to die. Winston felt tears spring in his eyes when he thought about it again. He'd already spent the past few hours crying. He was completely devastated. 

His phone buzzed in his coat pocket. He reached for it and saw that he had a text from an unknown number. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Who was texting him? He assumed it might be from a wrong number at first, but when he read the message it became clear that it was meant for him.

Meet me at Rosie's Diner if you want to clear his name. 7:00 PM. -Unknown

Winston tried to think of who could possibly be texting him, but came up with no ideas on who it could be. The only people who knew Monty that also knew him were Clay and Ani, but it was pretty obvious that they had no intention of clearing Monty's name. 

Winston shoved his phone back into his coat pocket and walked to his car. He turned the keys and began to drive. It was almost six, so he had a full hour to decide whether or not he was going to Rosie's Diner.

He knew it was a terrible idea to go and meet some stranger, but at the same time, if it would bring Monty justice, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

After driving around in circles for half and hour, Winston had made up his mind to meet this mysterious person. He pulled into the Rosie's Diner parking lot and looked through its windows at the people inside. There was an older couple toward the back, a few people ordering, and a young girl sitting in the front, alone.

He got out of his car and made his way to the entrance. The girl's head turned immediately at the sound of the door opening.

"Are you Winston?" She asked, apprehensively.

"Yeah." He responded, "I'm assuming you're the one who sent this text?" 

She grinned, but he saw pain behind it, "Guilty." 

Winston sat down across from her as she extended her hand.

"I'm Estela." She said. Winston's eyes widened as he gripped her hand to shake it.

"You're Monty's sister?" He asked, surprised. 

She looked down, "Yeah. I guess was is the proper term for it now." 

Winston's heart broke for her, "I'm so sorry about what happened." 

Estela nodded, before rubbing her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"I- I know. Me too." She said tearfully.

"If there's anything I can do, just let me know, okay?" Winston said and she looked up, like she suddenly remembered something.

"Actually, there is something..." Estela reached into her backpack that was on the seat beside her. She rummaged through it for a few moments before pulling out a journal.

"I wasn't going to show this to you yet, but Diego's running late and this is probably as good a time as any." She placed the journal on the table and slid it over to Winston.

He opened the journal, hesitantly. In it was multiple entries from different days. 

"What is this?" He asked, flipping though the pages.

"I found it under Monty's mattress. I think it was his journal or something. I never knew he kept one, but I thought it could have something useful in it."

His heart dropped when he realized he was reading Monty's writing. He ran his fingers down some of the letters, taking comfort in the fact that Monty was the one who wrote them. He came across a page that had a heart with a 'W' inside it. Next to that heart was his phone number.

Estela seemed to realize what Winston was looking at, "That's how I tracked you down. There are a few more entries after that page. All of them are about you." 

Winston looked up at Estela. She had a look of understanding in her eyes. He could tell that she knew about him and Monty. Before he got the chance to turn the page and read more, the door to the diner opened. Both he and Estela looked up to see a boy around their age walk through the doors. He was tall and wore a Liberty High Varsity Jacket. 

He had an apologetic look on his face as he made his way to them, "Sorry I'm late, practice ran a bit long."

"A bit long? Diego, it's seven." Estela pointed out.

Diego held his hands up in defense, "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I would've gotten here earlier if I could've." 

Diego's eyes landed on Winston, "Who's this?" 

Estela rolled her eyes, "I told you, this is Winston. I think he can help us."

"What am I helping you with exactly?" Winston asked, closing the journal and putting it on the seat next to him.

"Diego and I have been meeting up everyday for the past few days. It began as us trying to help each other grieve, but soon we both realized that neither of us believe Monty was a killer." Estela said quietly.

"You were friends with Monty, right?" Diego asked as he took a seat next to Estela. Winston nodded.

"Any friend of Monty's knew he wasn't capable of actually killing anyone. Especially Bryce, that guy was like a brother to him." Diego said in a hushed tone.

"He didn't kill Bryce. I know he didn't." Winston said and both Estela and Diego looked at him with questioning glances.

"How are you so certain?" Estela asked.

"Because..." Winston paused, "I was with him that night." 

Diego and Estela looked at each other, their faces slowly turning into grins.

"We have a plan." Diego said.


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston, Estela, and Diego continue to discuss their ‘idea’ at Rosie’s Diner.

To say Winston was intrigued by Diego's words would be an understatement, "What kind of plan?" Winston asked before he could stop himself.

"It's not a plan, per say, but more like an idea." Estela corrected and Diego groaned.

"Ughh, that doesn't sound as cool." Diego whined as he dropped his head onto the table.

"Nothing about this is cool, Diego." Estela snapped and Diego immediately straightened up.

"Sorry." He mumbled and looked down.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed by before Winston broke the silence, "Well, whatever this plan or idea is, I want to help."

Estela and Diego both looked up at him when he said this.

"Are you sure? I mean, this is kind of intense stuff and we weren't sure if you were going to want to get involved in this." Estela asked him.

"I cared about Monty a lot. He deserves justice and he's going to get it." Winston said and Diego couldn't have smiled wider.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Diego whooped in excitement and Winston let out an amused laugh.

"Diego, calm down, we don't want people thinking we're going anything suspicious." Estela reprimanded.

"But we kind of are, aren't we?" Diego asked.

"There's nothing suspicious about trying to prove the person you love didn't commit a murder." Winston spoke jokingly, before he realized what he had said.

Estela's eyes widened as Diego looked at him in confusion. 

"Love?" Diego asked.

Winston's face turned a dark shade of red. His palms began to sweat as he answered, "Uh, yeah, you know, like brotherly love, he was a really close friend of mine."

"Oh, I had no idea Monty had any friends outside of Liberty." Diego said and Winston let out a breath of relief, thankful he didn't catch on.

"Speaking of, how did you and Monty meet?" Estela asked, like she had no idea. Like she hadn't read those pages in the journal.

"We met at a Hillcrest party. He was with Bryce, but then he left him alone to go get a drink. Monty was standing there all alone, so I introduced myself and we talked for a little bit." Winston lied and Estela knew it, but Diego seemed to buy his fake story.

Just then, a waitress came over and asked if she could take their order. Diego immediately asked for a double cheeseburger. Estela ordered a vanilla milkshake and Winston settled for french fries. 

He had been having a hard time eating anything lately, so he hoped the fries would be bland enough to keep down.

The waitress left to put their order in, but as soon as she was gone, Diego was back to asking questions.

"Wait a sec, how were you and Monty such good friends if all you did was talk at some random party?" Diego asked. Winston contemplated telling him the truth right then and there, but he ultimately decided it would be best to tell him later.

"Well, we hung out a lot at that party. We, uh, just talked..." Winston paused when he saw Estela and Diego's facial expressions. Diego looked confused again as Estela nodded at him to continue.

"We were both pretty drunk, so we ended up telling each other a lot about ourselves and I guess a friendship formed between us. Bryce took him to a few other parties and we always would end up hanging out." 

Diego still seemed unconvinced, but as he opened his mouth to ask something else, the waitress returned, this time with food.

As soon as the plate was set in front of Diego, he ravenously began to eat. Estela looked at him in disgust.

"Ew, that is seriously disgusting." She said and Diego glanced at her with an annoyed look.

"You try practicing for four straight hours without any food in your system. I need to replenish my fuel." Diego said with his mouth full. Estela started cracking up and soon they were all laughing. 

Winston forced himself to eat a few fries, because even if it wasn't healthy, it was still food.

"So, I'm still confused about what this idea is exactly." Winston said, pushing his fries around in the basket.

Diego and Estela looked at each other for a moment, before Estela spoke up, "To be perfectly honest, we don't have a solid idea. But the fact that now we know where Monty really was, means that we're one step closer to proving his innocence." 

"We know Monty was framed, but we don't know who actually framed him and why they did." Diego added.

"They had to be protecting someone." Winston said. 

At Estela and Diego's confused looks, he continued.

"Whoever framed Monty obviously knew who really killed Bryce. What would be in it for them if they weren't protecting someone or themselves?" 

"Oh shit, you right. Whoever went to the police has to know who actually did it." Estela said.

"There's this group of students at Liberty who always look paranoid or like they're plotting something. And they're always together." Diego said and Winston thought of something.

"Would this group of students happen to include Clay Jensen and Ani Achola?"

Diego looked at him, surprised, "Yeah, how did you know that?"

"And how do you even know who they are?" Estela asked.

"Clay Jensen messaged me on Facebook a few days before Monty was arrested. They had found a fake id that some guy used to take the SAT's for me in Monty's car. They wanted to meet with me to see if I knew anything about Bryce's death. I told them I had no idea who did it. But I told them me and Monty were together the night Bryce died."

"They knew." Diego said under his breath, "They're the only other people who knew where Monty really was, which means they had to have been the ones talked to the police."

Winston leaned forward as he spoke, "The paranoid group knows something that we don't."


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty contemplates leaving the bunker. Deputy Standall comforts him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, the same message keeps showing up at the bottom of each chapter lol. I’m still pretty new to AO3 so I’m not sure how to get rid of it, but I hope you like this chapter! Thank you all for leaving kudos and writing such positive comments :)

As soon as Deputy Standall had left the bunker yesterday morning, Monty began pacing back and forth. The thoughts wouldn't stop coming. Thoughts of regret, thoughts of anger, and thoughts of hurt. 

But there was one particular thought that kept entering his mind.

Why don't I just leave? He continued thinking to himself.

It's not like anyone would see him. He was completely alone in the woods and he assumed Deputy Standall wouldn't be back for another few hours. There was no lock on the opening of the bunker. There was no one stopping him. 

Monty stopped pacing and walked over to the bed. He looked under it, like he was expecting to find some of his belongings there, but stood up when he realized he had nothing. He felt as though he'd never had anything in his entire life. And in that moment, Monty had never felt more alone.

He sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. It was a comforting position for him. The sleeves of the oversized sweatshirt covered half of his hands, so when he put them up to his face, he got a whiff of Alex's cheap body spray. He quickly removed his hands from his face and buried them into the pockets of the sweatpants. 

Monty sat there for a few minutes, silently crying. He'd gotten used to crying without making any noise, because in his house, if he were caught crying, his dad would've beaten him senseless.

"Crying is for little girls!" His dad would say.

"Dad! Stop, you're drunk!" Monty would plead.

"Get out of my way, you disgrace!" His dad would then begin to hit him, over and over again.

"Monty?" His dad's voice sounded different. Softer, kinder.

"Please stop!" Monty begged, but the voice continued to call his name.

"Monty!" 

Monty yelped when he felt someone grip his shoulder. He looked up and saw Deputy Standall standing right in front of him.

"Monty, are you alright? I got in here and you were sobbing. When I said your name, you started yelling." Deputy Standall said, moving to sit down on the bed.

Getting so caught up in that terrible flashback made Monty unable to hear the sound of the bunker opening or Deputy Standall's loud footsteps.

"I, uh, yeah, I'm fine." Monty stammered out, wiping his eyes roughly. Deputy Standall didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure? It's okay to not be fine, you know. It's okay to cry." Deputy Standall told him.

Monty looked up at him. Deputy Standall's eyes were filled with such caring and understanding and worry. Monty had only seen it in one other person's eyes before. Winston's.

Just thinking of his name made Monty break down. He began to sob once again, but instead of no one being there to comfort him, he felt arms wrap around him. The arms pulled him into a hug and just held him. It felt so foreign to Monty. He had never been taken care of, never had an adult care for him like this. 

"It's okay, it's all going to be okay." Deputy Standall continued to repeat those same words until Monty calmed down. Monty pulled away and moved to sit back on the bed. Deputy Standall stayed where he was.

"You said the words 'please stop'. What were you thinking about?" Deputy Standall asked him. 

Monty shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it."

Deputy Standall nodded and decided to try and change the subject, "The word's gotten out around town. Everyone believes you're dead."

"Maybe it should stay that way." Monty said quietly and Deputy Standall looked over at him with a confused glance.

"What does that mean?" He asked. 

Monty continued wiping his eyes, "Nothing. It means nothing, just forget I said anything." 

"Monty-" Deputy Standall began, but Monty cut him off.

"It's nothing, okay?" Monty told him. He looked so worn out and so hurt that Deputy Standall decided to let it be for now.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Deputy Standall said. Monty looked over at him and nodded.

After a brief period of silence, Monty spoke up, "I thought about leaving."

Deputy Standall looked at him in surprise, but without judgement he asked, "Why didn't you?" 

"I don't know..." Monty said. But he did know. He didn't leave because he knew if he did, he'd never see Winston again.


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston gets a call from Deputy Standall asking him to come into the station so he can question him.

By the time Winston, Estela, and Diego had left Rosie's Diner, they were the only people there. They talked about every little detail of the paranoid group and what their next move might be.

Before they parted ways, Winston had tried to give Monty's journal back to Estela, but she told him that she thought it would be best if he kept it for now. He thanked her with a hug and got into his car. 

The drive back home was long, but it gave him plenty of time to think. 

What is the paranoid group hiding? Was his main thought.

When he finally made it to his house, he walked inside and sat down at the dining room table. He sighed and placed Monty's journal in front of him. He debated on whether or not he should read any more of it, since Monty probably never intended for anyone else to see it. 

Winston didn't get a chance to decide, however, as the dining room light was suddenly turned on. He jumped in surprise and turned around to see his mom standing in the hallway.

"Winston? What on Earth were you doing out so late?" His mom asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Winston looked down at his watch in confusion. It showed that the time was 10:00 PM. Apparently, he, Estela, and Diego had lost track of time.

"Sorry mom, I didn't realize I was out so late." He ran a hand down his face and put the journal down on his lap.

"You still haven't told me what you were up to." His mom reminded him.

Winston rolled his eyes, "It won't happen again, alright? And if you must know, I was at a diner with some friends from school."

"Wait, you have friends?" His mom asked and Winston scoffed.

"Wow, thanks mom." He said sarcastically.

"I'm only teasing you." His mom said and they laughed.

"You know I was only curious about where you were because I love you." His mom said.

"I love you too, mom." Winston said, smiling.

"Good, now go to bed. You have school tomorrow." His mom pointed upstairs, before heading in the opposite direction.

Winston stayed at the table for a few minutes before eventually heading upstairs. He laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few days. 

When he woke up the next morning, he saw that he had a missed call from another unknown number. He had saved Estela and Diego's numbers in his phone the night before, so he knew it wasn't one of them. 

His thumb hovered over the number, wondering if he should call back or not. He thought about it, before curiosity overtook him and he tapped on the number on his screen. His phone dialed for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Winston Williams?" A deep voice asked on the other line.

"That's me." Winston replied.

"My name is Deputy Standall. I've been meaning to reach out to you. I've got a few questions I'd like to ask you, if you'd be able to stop by the police station later today."

Winston didn't answer for a moment. He was confused why this Deputy would be contacting him.

"What's this about?" Winston asked.

"I'd be happy to tell you if you came into the station." Deputy Standall replied.

"Um, okay, when would be a good time?" Winston asked.

"Does four sound alright to you? That way you'll be out of school for the day and you'll be home in time for dinner." Deputy Standall suggested.

"Yeah, four is good." Winston said.

"Great. See you then, Mr. Williams." Deputy Standall said and then hung up.

Winston immediately texted Estela and Diego, asking them to meet him so they could discuss what had just happened. They agreed and soon they were all seated around a corner table at Monet's.

"There better be a good reason why you made me get up at six AM." Diego grumbled from where he was resting his head on the table.

Estela hit his arm gently, "Diego, it's obviously something important. He wouldn't have texted us if it wasn't." She nodded for Winston to tell them what was going on.

"I got a call from a guy named Deputy Standall this morning." He told them and Diego's head shot up off the table.

"Wait, why did Deputy Standall call you?" Diego asked.

"He said that he wanted to ask me some questions, but he couldn't tell me what they were about." Winston added.

Diego and Estela shared a glance before looking at Winston, "Deputy Standall is the guy who was in charge of Bryce's case." Diego said.

"He's questioned both of us, and most of the students in the paranoid group." Estela told him.

"I'm assuming he's also the one they told the lies about Monty killing Bryce to." Winston said and they nodded.

"I just don't get why he would contact me. Of all people, how does he even know who I am? He doesn't know that Monty and I were friends." Winston pointed out.

"I have no idea." Diego said, resting his head on his hand.

"Are you going to go?" Estela asked, before taking a sip of her latte.

"I probably should, right?" Winston asked.

"It could give us more answers." Estela suggested.

"And there has to be a reason he called you to come into the station." Diego said.

"I know." Winston said.

Soon after, they parted ways. Estela and Diego began walking toward Liberty, since it was only a few blocks away. Winston got into his car and drove to Hillcrest.

The school day felt especially long to Winston, since he had somewhere to be after. As soon as he heard the final bell ring, he was out of his seat. He drove to the police station and made it there ten minutes early. He sat in his car for the remaining time. 

When it was time to head inside, he sent a text to Estela and Diego telling them he was going in. They both responded with words of encouragement. He smiled down at his phone, before getting out of his car.

He walked to the entrance of the police station and opened the door. There was a woman sitting at the front desk. He approached it and the woman looked up.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"My name's Winston Williams. Deputy Standall called me earlier and told me he had some questions for me." He told her.

She nodded, "Take a seat, Deputy Standall will be out here shortly." 

"Thank you." He said and sat down in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. Not even a minute later, a man walked up him.

"Mr. Williams? I'm Deputy Standall, thank you so much for meeting with me." Deputy Standall said, holding out his hand.

Winston shook his hand, "Just Winston is fine." 

"Alright, Winston. Why don't we head on back?" Deputy Standall began walking back to where he came from, with Winston following close behind.

They entered a room with a table in the middle. Deputy Standall took a seat on one side as Winston sat down on the other side. Deputy Standall got out a tape recorder and set it on the table in front of him. He pushed a red button on the side of it, turning it on.

"So, Winston. I'm not going to beat around the bush here, I called you in to talk to you about Bryce Walker's death." Deputy Standall stated.

"Okay." Winston said, growing nervous.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to accuse you of anything, but I did want to ask you about the boy who was convicted of being his killer." Deputy Standall said.

Winston's hands turned into fists at his sides, angry that Monty was being considered a killer.

"Monty?" Winston asked.

Deputy Standall nodded, "Yes. I've heard from a few sources, that you and Montgomery were together the night Bryce was murdered. Is that correct?"

Winston furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Wait, what sources told you that?"

"Are you saying that the information is false?" Deputy Standall asked and Winston immediately shook his head.

"No! It's true. We were together that night." Winston told him.

Deputy Standall nodded again, "Okay." He reached to turn the tape recorder off. 

"Who are your sources? Who told you that?" Winston asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not able to share that information with you." Deputy Standall said.

Winston shook his head, clearly annoyed, "Fine."

Deputy Standall stood up and gave him a friendly grin, "Thank you for your time, Winston." He held out his hand once more.

"Wait, that's it? That's all you wanted to ask?" Winston ignored the hand held out in front of him.

Deputy Standall put his hand down, "That's all I needed." 

Winston stood up and left the room. He walked out of the police station and went back into his car. He pulled out his phone as soon as he sat down and typed out a text to send to Estela and Diego.

‘Something weird is going on. We need to meet up ASAP.’ -Winston


	7. Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston tells Estela and Diego about his meeting with Deputy Standall. They come up with a plan to try and find out more of the truth.

Diego suggested the three of them meet at Monet's again, since he was feeling extra tired and wanted more coffee to keep himself awake. Estela and Winston agreed.

A half an hour after Winston had met with Deputy Standall, the trio sat at the same corner table and began to discuss the events of the odd questioning.

"I'm telling you guys, there was something seriously off about that meeting." Winston said.

Estela leaned forward and asked, "What did Deputy Standall say to you?" 

"He told me he called me in to talk about Bryce's death, or more specifically the boy who killed him."

Winston took a long sip of his coffee before continuing, "He was referring to Monty and asked if he was with me the night Bryce died." 

"What? How could he have possibly known you two were together that night?" Diego asked.

"Or even who you are?" Estela added.

"That's the thing. He said that a few sources told him." Winston replied. Diego and Estela looked at him in confusion.

"But who are his sources?" Estela asked.

Winston shrugged, "Beats me. I asked him that same question and he said he wasn't able to share that information with me."

Diego slammed his fist down on the table, "That asshole, I swear to god, I'm gonna-" 

"Diego! Calm down!" Estela reprimanded when she saw a few people glance over to their table. 

"No! I'm done calming down, Estela. There is some seriously fucked up shit going on and we need to figure it out. Now." Diego exclaimed. 

"Diego-" Estela began.

Winston cut her off, "No, he's right. Nobody else is going to do something about this. So, it's about time we did."

Diego grinned and looked over at Estela. She had a look of disapproval on her face. After a few seconds, Estela sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win a argument between them, "What do you suggest we do, then?" 

Winston and Diego looked at each other and smiled. Winston was the first to speak.

"I have an idea. It's a little crazy, but you guys have to trust me. Can you do that?" He asked.

Diego nodded immediately, "Hell yeah." 

"Estela?" Diego looked over at her. 

Her head was turned down. When she looked up, she stared directly into Winston's eyes, "I trust you." 

Diego whooped in excitement, something Winston was learning was a habit of his.

Estela smiled at Diego's antics, before turning to Winston, "So, what's your idea?" 

"I think we should spy on Deputy Standall." He said.

"Like stalk him?" Diego asked and Winston nodded.

"Yeah, we'll get up early and watch his every move at the police station." Winston replied.

Diego groaned and laid his head down on the table, "We have to get up early, again?" 

"Just ignore him. If we do this tomorrow, won't we be skipping school?" 

"Didn't we agree that we'd do whatever it takes to get Monty justice?" Winston reminded her. 

She nodded, "Okay, let's do it."

Diego lifted his head from the table, "I'm all for skipping school, I'm in."

"Do you think the paranoid group might get suspicious that we're not at school?" Estela asked Diego.

Winston had a confused look on his face, "Why would they be suspicious?" 

"Because, they know we're up to something. Deputy Standall's son, Alex, goes to Liberty. We were waiting to tell you, but apparently Alex got word that you were at the station today." Diego said.

"And Justin Foley, also a member of the paranoid group, just so happened to be working the early shift here at Monet's before school. He saw us talking this morning. " Estela added.

"Every person in that damn group was giving us death stares all day." Diego clenched his fists.

"Oh shit." Winston swore.

"Yeah." Diego sighed.

"Even if they know we're working together, we still have to keep trying to find the truth." Estela told them. Diego and Winston both nodded.

The next morning, Winston texted Estela and Diego to meet him outside the police station. It was still dark outside, so no one was inside the building yet. Once they all arrived, they began to plan out what they were going to do. 

"I looked at all four sides of the station and saw that the left side, has no doors or windows. No possible way of entry or exit." Winston said, "I figure, if we all take one side, there's no way we could miss him leave." 

Diego and Estela agreed to the plan. Soon they were all in their own cars, Winston parked outside front entrance, Estela on the right side, and Diego was in the back.

After a few minutes, Winston saw a truck pull into the parking lot. He recognized the man that stepped out of it immediately.

‘Deputy Standall just got here. He's going inside.’ Winston texted them.

Several hours passed by without a single sign of anything out of the ordinary. At noon, Deputy Standall went outside and got back into his truck. Winston followed him, only to find him going out for lunch. When Deputy Standall returned, he parked his truck outside the back of the station, which they all thought was odd.

When the clock finally struck eight PM, it seemed like they had wasted a whole day for nothing. That was until Diego texted them that Deputy Standall was going out the back entrance and walking to his truck. 

As he drove away, Estela and Winston decided to get inside Diego's car and follow him. Diego floored it and made it to the road just in time to see Deputy Standall's taillights turn the corner. 

"He's going into the woods." Winston noted.

Diego stopped driving and turned his headlights off, so Deputy Standall wouldn't see them. The group watched in silent anticipation as Deputy Standall got out of his truck with a bag of leftovers in his hand. He walked a little further in the woods.

They saw him reach toward the ground and open up a hatch. Estela gasped when he climbed down what looked like a ladder and closed the opening.

"What the hell is he doing?" Diego asked, but got no reply. Estela and Winston had no idea what was going on, either.

Fifteen minutes later, Deputy Standall reappeared, this time without the bag of leftovers. He got back into his truck and drove away, to what they assumed was his home.

"What do you think is down there?" Estela asked.

"I have no clue." Diego said.

"We should go look." Winston suggested and reached for the door handle.

"Dude, come on. I've already gone home late one night this week, I don't want to do it again." Diego said.

"Wait, seriously? We're just giving up?" Winston asked, his hand so close to opening up the car door.

"I have gotten, like, zero hours of sleep in this past week, I just want to go home. This day felt like a fucking waste of time." Diego said.

Winston looked at Estela, "What do you think we should do?"

Estela looked at the floor, "My mom hasn't been doing very well ever since Monty..." She didn't finish that sentence, "I don't really want to give her any more reasons to worry." 

Diego started the car and began driving out of the woods, "That's reason enough for us to get the fuck out of here."

Winston removed his hand from the door handle, "Okay." He said. But he wasn't okay and he didn't know if he'd be okay ever again.


	8. Part 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston wants answers, so he’s going to get them.

Diego drove Estela and Winston back to the police station in silence. The car ride was tense, to say the least. 

Winston didn't understand how they could both give up so easily when they were so close. He didn't exactly know what they were close to finding, but he had a feeling it would've been important. 

He kept thinking about the bag of leftovers Deputy Standall brought down with him. If Deputy Standall didn't come back out with it, then why did he bring it down there in the first place? Was he stocking some survival shelter? Or was he feeding something or someone?

Winston shoved his thoughts away when Diego turned the corner and pulled into the police station parking lot. Diego came to a stop at Winston's car.

"Sorry today didn't go exactly as planned, brother." Diego apologized.

"I'm not your fucking brother." Winston retorted as he got out of the car, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Winston didn't look back, but he could feel Diego and Estela's eyes on him as he got into his car and drove out of the parking lot.

When he got home, he ran upstairs to his room and walked over to his desk that was usually used for homework. He saw Monty's journal resting on top of it. 

His fingers brushed against the front cover of it, before anger overtook him. With a cry of frustration and one swipe of his arm, all the items on his desk were forcefully pushed off of it and fell to the carpeted floor. He backed up into the wall, surprised by what he had just done. Tears streamed down his face as he slid down it and buried his face in his knees.

Why!? Why did Monty have to die? They were supposed to be happy and get out of this town. Together. He couldn't stop the thoughts from racing throughout his mind.

He was glad his parents were away that night as he began to sob loudly. After a few minutes of crying, Winston looked up and glanced over at the mess he'd made. He crawled over to where his belongings had landed on the floor. He slowly picked them all up, until one remained. Monty's journal.

Winston sank to the floor and stared at it for the longest time. Before he could stop himself, he opened it. He skipped past the pages he'd already read at Rosie's diner and found the one with the 'W' heart on it. The fact that Monty had drawn that made Winston want to cry again. He pushed it back, however, and flipped to the next page after that. He began to read the entry written on the page.

'I can't put into words how Winston makes me feel. He's oxygen after a lifetime of not being able to breathe. He's a drink of water after traveling for days in a desert. He's peace after being at war for years. I've been at war with myself for the longest time, but for the first time, I feel like I know the way I can win it. Everything feels right with him and I know that as long as he's here, I'm going to be okay.'

Winston put his hand over his mouth to cover up the sound of his sobs. He felt so guilty that he hadn't been there for Monty in his last few days alive. 

After a few moments of sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, silently crying, he closed the journal as an idea came into his mind. He stood up and rushed downstairs. He slipped his coat on and grabbed his keys.

Winston dashed out to his car and drove out of his driveway. Soon he was passing by the police station for what felt like the thousandth time that night. He followed the way Diego drove when they were watching Deputy Standall go into the woods. He pulled in a lot closer, since there was no need to hide from anyone this time. 

He shivered as he stepped out of his car and walked further into the trees. There was something unsettling about these woods that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He made his way to the same opening in the ground that Deputy Standall had gone in. 

Winston was thankful there was no lock on the hatch as he reached to open it. It was a lot heavier than he anticipated and he had to use both arms to eventually heave it open.

There was a ladder that lead to what looked like an underground bunker. He stared down into it and immediately became curious as to what was hidden beneath.

He climbed down the ladder and found himself in a room with a twin bed, shelves of food, and a bathroom door. He looked over at the bed and realized that the same bag of leftovers was on it, but it looked as though it had been opened. There was an empty to-go box resting against the bag. 

He cautiously walked closer to the bed and looked it over. It was messily done, almost as if someone had just gotten out of it. For some reason, Winston felt the need to straighten the blanket. As he reached for the covering, he suddenly pulled his hands back, alarmed. The bed was still warm. 

He backed up in shock as he realized that he wasn't alone in the bunker. He was about to run back to the ladder, climb out, and never come back, when the bathroom door opened. 

Monty and Winston's eyes locked and for a moment, time completely stopped.

"W-Winston?" Monty asked in shock.

Winston didn't answer, he was too busy gaping at the person he thought was dead.

Monty stepped forward at the same time Winston did. They met each other in the middle and threw their arms around each other. 

"Oh my god." Winston sobbed out.

Monty held onto him so tightly, that Winston felt like he couldn't breathe, but he didn't care. They pulled back and stared into each other's eyes.

"I thought you were dead. I never thought I'd see you again." Winston said as he reached up to grab the back of Monty's neck. He leaned their foreheads together.

Monty gripped Winston's waist and closed his eyes, "I'm here. I'm alive." Monty said just above a whisper. 

Winston couldn't stop himself as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Monty's. Monty eagerly kissed him back. 

They stood there, for what felt like an eternity, holding onto each other and smiling/crying between kisses.

And for the first time in a while, everything felt like it was going to be okay again.


	9. Part 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston and Monty talk about the past few days.

Monty ran his fingers through Winston's soft, curly hair as they laid together on the twin bed. Winston rested his head against Monty's chest and could feel himself beginning to fall asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Winston frowned when he remembered he couldn't stay the night in the bunker, since his parents would be home tomorrow morning. Winston sat up and looked back at Monty. 

"I have to go." Winston said, sadly.

"But you just got here." Monty whined.

"I got here over an hour ago. Plus, you still haven't answered any of my questions." Winston reminded him. 

Winston had tried to ask Monty some of the questions he'd been dying to know the answers to, but Monty just stayed silent and pulled him toward the bed. Winston thought Monty had something else in mind when he laid back on the bed, but all Monty did was open his arms and wait for Winston to fall into them. They had been laying like that ever since.

"What do you wanna know?" Monty asked, grabbing Winston's hands and pulling him back.

Winston let himself be pulled into his chest once again and enjoyed the feeling of Monty's strong arms around him. The arms he'd missed more than anything.

"How are you alive?" Winston asked.

"The asshole answer would be that eighteen years ago, my mom and dad shared a very special evening together-" 

Winston cut him off with a smile, "Shut up. You know what I mean."

Monty laughed as he answered, "Deputy Standall orchestrated this big lie. Told everyone that I'd died in prison, but in reality, he took me to this survival shelter, so he could have time to go and get evidence to clear my name."

"You said Deputy Standall was going to gather evidence? He called me into the police station yesterday so he could question me." Winston told him.

"I told him that we were together the night Bryce died." Monty said and Winston looked up at him in surprise.

"You told him that?" Monty shrugged in response to the question.

"So you were the secret sources Deputy Standall was talking about. I didn't see that one coming." Winston noted. Monty stayed silent.

"Why did you lie to him the first time he questioned you then?" Winston asked. Monty looked away for a moment. When his eyes locked with Winston's again, the Hillcrest boy saw tears forming in his eyes.

"I just... I can't yet. No one can know yet.." Monty trailed off as a tear ran down his cheek. Winston's heart broke at the sight. He reached up with his thumb and brushed away the falling tear. 

"That's okay. When you're with me, you can be whatever you want to be, remember?" Winston reminded him and Monty tearfully nodded.

They both stayed quiet for minute, until Winston broke the silence.

"Why does Deputy Standall want to help you?" Winston asked as he traced lines over Monty's arm.

"I have no fucking idea. Maybe it was his moral code or some shit, since he knows I didn't do it."

"How did he know that you didn't do it?" Winston questioned.

Monty paused. He hadn't thought about that before, "I don't know." He said, in a confused tone.

Winston looked up into Monty's eyes as he spoke, "If he knows that you didn't do it, then he has to know who actually did."

"Holy shit, you're right." Monty realized.

"I usually am." Winston said, smiling. Monty scoffed and pushed him away jokingly.

"Okay, but I really do have to go now." Winston stood up and Monty immediately followed him.

"You sure you can't stay here with me?" Monty asked, putting his hands around the smaller boy's waist.

Winston wrapped his arms around Monty's shoulders, "I wish I could, but my parents get home in the morning."

Monty took initiative this time and pulled Winston even closer, crashing their lips together. While it wasn't anywhere near as rough as their first kiss, it did catch Winston off guard. He quickly caught up, however, and gripped onto Monty's shoulders. 

Their tongues battled for dominance, but ultimately, Monty won. He pushed Winston up against the wall and they continued to feverishly kiss for a few minutes. As the frenzy wore off, they pulled away. Both of them were breathing hard.

Winston rested his head on Monty's collarbone as he began to back himself off of the wall, "I'll come back. I'll just have to stalk Deputy Standall again to see when he's leaving."

"Wait, you stalked him?" Monty asked as his eyes went wide.

"How else did you think I found this place?" Winston asked, cheekily. 

"You're a fucking creep." Monty laughed as Winston smiled at him.

"You weren't complaining about it a minute ago." Winston said as he walked over to the ladder.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Winston said as he reached it.

Monty leaned forward and brought their lips together one more time. It was only a quick peck, but it still had all the emotion behind it that their other kisses did.

"Okay." Monty said, watching Winston climb out.


	10. Part 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston, Estela, and Diego attend the find your drink party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just now realizing that the timeline is a little off, but please just go with it lol :)

Two days passed and Winston still hadn't spoken a word to anyone about what he'd discovered. Not even to Estela and Diego. Considering what had happened between them all, Winston didn't exactly feel like he should talk to them.

That being said, when he received a text from Estela asking if he wanted to meet up for coffee, he was surprised. He typed back a quick 'yes' and drove to Monet's.

When Winston arrived, he saw Estela and Diego already sitting at their usual table. Diego had his back turned away from the door, but Estela spotted him immediately. She waved him over and Winston hastily made his way to them.

"Hey." He greeted, unsure of what else to say.

"Hey." Diego said, turning in his seat to look at him. Winston felt himself shrink under his stare. 

Diego laughed, "Dude, chill. I'm not mad or anything." 

Winston let out a sigh of relief, "Oh. Good, I'm not mad either."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down!" Estela motioned to chair at the end of table. 

"Okay." He grinned slightly as he sat down.

Estela looked at Diego expectantly. He returned her look until she finally rolled her eyes and turned to Winston.

"We just wanted to bring you here to say..." Estela's eyes traveled back to Diego. She had the same expectant look.

Diego huffed, "We wanted to say sorry." 

Winston almost laughed. What could they have to be sorry about? He was the one who got angry.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that." Winston told them.

Estela shook her head, "Regardless of who's sorry or not, we wanted to see if you had plans tonight."

"No, I don't. What's going on?" Winston asked, curiously.

"The find your drink party is tonight!" Diego said excitedly. 

"The find your drink party? What is that?" Winston thought the name sounded odd.

"It's main purpose is to help the seniors find the drink they like before going off to college." Diego explained. Winston nodded.

"So, can you go?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, I should be able to." Winston said.

"Awesome! We'll be able to do some spying on the paranoid group." Diego pointed out.

They finished their drinks and said their goodbyes. Diego gave Winston the address and told him that the party started at seven. He agreed to meet them there.

A few hours later, Winston looked in the mirror at himself. Once he decided that his outfit looked good enough, he went downstairs.

"Wow, where are you going looking so handsome?" His mother asked him, as she walked over to him and began to touch his coat.

Winston smiled as he shook his head and tried to push her hands away, "Just to this party some of my friends are throwing."

"Again with the friends? When am I going to get to meet these ominous people?" His mother asked.

"Someday, but right now I'm running late, so I gotta go." He kissed her cheek and walked out to his car.

Winston drove in silence as he passed by the familiar area. He glanced out his window at the woods by the police station, he felt guilty that he hadn't visited Monty for a few days.

When he got to the party, he stepped out of his car and looked up at the giant house in front of him. It reminded Winston of his own home.

"Winston! Hey!" A loud voice called out from the doorway of the house. Winston immediately recognized the voice as Diego's.

"Hey!" Winston called back, waving to him.

Diego ran out of the house to meet him. Winston was met with a bear hug that almost knocked him off his feet. He laughed when Diego let go. 

"You ready to go inside?" Diego asked, with that same excited look.

"Hell yeah!" Winston answered, which caused Diego to cheer loudly. He threw an arm around Winston's shoulder, when Estela came up to them.

"I swear, every drink I've had tonight tastes like shit." She gestured to the mystery liquid in the red cup she was holding. 

"That's the beauty of it! You can go find a new drink!" Diego reminded her. It became clear very quickly, that Diego was drunk. Winston shook his head, as Diego released his hold on him. 

"Come on, Estela. Let's go get drinks." Winston said. 

Estela dumped the contents of her cup out onto a random plant, "Fine by me."

Winston noticed the stares he got from a few members of the paranoid group. Alex and Jessica were talking together, but stopped when they saw them walk in. Jessica turned to whisper something in Alex's ear, but Alex just shrugged in response to whatever she had asked.

Winston ignored them as he and Estela walked over to the drink table and began mixing random alcohol together. When they had both made drinks they were happy with, they headed out to the backyard. 

Diego and Luke Holliday were standing on top of a table, so that they'd be able to speak to the crowd gathering around them.

"Everybody, listen up!" When only a few people turned to look at them, he shouted, "Yo, turn that fucking music down!"

The music quieted down, "I just wanna say, welcome everybody, to this year's find your drink!" Almost everyone cheered at Diego's words. Everyone but the paranoid group.

"There's one person who was really looking forward to this party, 'cause they wanted our senior year to be bigger and better than anything before, but he cannot be here with us tonight." Diego continued sadly.

"So instead, we're gonna pour one out in his honor. Now, I know some of you didn't like Monty, but I think we all agree that he deserved to live to see this day." When Diego said this, Winston looked down. He wanted to tell them so badly, but he hadn't found the right time yet.

Diego looked out into the crowd, obviously trying to find someone, "Estela, get up here! You gotta be a part of this too." 

Estela turned to look at Winston with nervous eyes, "Will you come with me?" She asked him.

Winston nodded, "Yeah, of course."

They walked over to the makeshift stage and Winston helped her get up onto it. He decided it was best if he didn't go up there with them, since no one else knew who he was.

Diego immediately put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her, but she still looked a little uncomfortable.

"To our friend and brother, Monty de la Cruz." Diego raised his cup and poured out his drink. Most everyone did the same, except the paranoid group. 

"Rest in peace, man." Diego said and looked up toward the sky. Winston could've laughed at the irony, since Monty was actually underground, but he didn't. Estela quickly hopped off the table when it was over and made her way to Winston.

"Hey, you did great." Winston told her. 

She shook her head, "No, I didn't even say a word." 

Winston looked at her with sadness, "You didn't have to. They all know how hard this must be." He wished he could tell her the truth.

Diego got off the table and began to walk over to where Estela and Winston were standing, when he got stopped by Jessica grabbing hold of his arm. She quickly whispered something into his ear, but walked away before he could say anything to her.

Diego face morphed into a shocked expression. He turned to look at Winston, his eyes filled with confusion, which then turned into anger. He all but stomped away and went back into the house.

"What was that about?" Estela asked Winston. 

He shook his head, "No idea." But in the back of his mind, he had a feeling he knew what Jessica had told Diego.

"I'm gonna go try and see what's wrong." Winston motioned to inside the house. Estela nodded and decided to go talk to Luke.

When Winston got inside, he looked around, but saw no sign of Diego anywhere. His eyes landed on a staircase, so he walked over and speedily made his way up them. He found Diego, leaning against a bedroom doorframe.

"Hey." Winston said, but got no answer.

"Is something wrong?" He tried again.

When Diego turned around, Winston saw hurt in his eyes, "Is something wrong?! Really? Everything is fucking wrong, don't you get that? My best friend is dead, he was accused of a crime he didn't commit. And do you want to know what Jessica told me downstairs?" 

Winston didn't answer him, but Diego told him anyway, "She said that Monty beat the shit out of you at the party that you said you two met at."

"Diego-" 

"You said you were friends. Why the fuck would you lie?" Diego cut him off.

"Because I didn't think you'd understand." Winston said.

"Understand what?" Diego asked in an accusatory tone.

Winston exhaled slowly, "Monty and I, we hooked up at that party. He didn't want anyone to know, that's why he beat me up in front of everyone. The reason I was with him the night Bryce died and the reason he didn't give a real alibi, is because we were together." 

When Winston finished talking, he saw tears welling up in Diego's eyes. He went to try and explain things better, "Monty said he wasn't gay..."

"No, it's cool if he was. I just didn't know." Diego wiped the tears from his face and leaned back against the door. 

When Winston saw how heartbroken Diego looked, he finally made up his mind.

"I need to show you something." Winston said.


	11. Part 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estela and Diego learn the truth. (I suck at summaries I’m sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should’ve probably come up with more creative chapter names but oh well :) hope you like this chapter!

At Winston's words, Diego looked up at him. He pushed himself up off the door and crossed his arms.

"What is it?" Diego asked.

Winston shook his head, "You'll see. Let's go find Estela." 

Diego was still upset, but nevertheless, followed Winston downstairs. When they reached the landing, their eyes searched the room for the girl.

"She's over there." Diego pointed to across the room, where Estela was leaning against the wall, occasionally drinking whatever was in her cup.

When Diego and Winston walked over to Estela, her face automatically lit up.

"Hey! Is everything okay?" She asked.

"It's a long story, but I don't think it's mine to tell you." Diego tried to explain. 

Winston remembered that Estela knew everything that had happened between him and Monty that night, because of the journal.

"No, it's okay. She already knows about it." Winston told him. 

Diego looked hurt again, "Wait, what? You told her and not me?"

"It's a long story." Estela countered.

Diego opened his mouth to argue more, but was cut off by the sound of yelling. The three of them looked over to the center of the living room and saw Zach Dempsey trying to pull Clay off of some guy. Both of their faces were bloody.

"Clay, what the fuck? Come on!" Zach finally managed to get Clay to stop punching the guy.

"Fuck you!" Clay roared. Zach backed up when he saw the angry expression on Clay's face.

Clay began to circle around the room, "Who wants it?! Huh? Who's next?!" 

"Clay! What the hell is going on?" Justin demanded as he stepped out from behind the crowd. Clay immediately pushed him back, hard. Justin's face showed a hurt expression.

Clay suddenly turned his gaze to Winston, Estela, and Diego. Estela shrunk into Diego's side, when Clay approached them. 

Clay pointed a finger directly into Winston's face, "I will end you."

Winston's eyes went wide, as Diego moved in front of him protectively, "Dude, back off and chill the fuck out."

Clay looked as if he might throw another punch, but Zach and Justin were quick to pull him away. This time, Clay didn't fight them off.

Once Clay had left the room, Diego exhaled sharply and turned around to face Winston and Estela, "Jensen's fucking crazy." 

"No, he knows we're close." Winston said.

"Let's get out of here." Diego headed toward the door, trusting them both to follow him.

Estela looked at Winston, "Wait, we're leaving?" 

Winston nodded, "I have something I need to show you both."

"Oh, okay..." She said, unsurely, "Is it something bad?" 

Winston smiled, slightly, "No, not at all." 

When they met up with Diego outside, he was already leaning against Winston's car. Winston dug out his keys and unlocked the doors.

"You're driving." Diego announced, as he climbed into the back seat. They drove in silence, until they reached that same familiar road by the police station.

"What are we doing back here?" Estela asked from the passenger seat.

"You'll see." Winston repeated, as he drove further down the road. When they reached the woods, he stopped the car and undid his seatbelt.

"Come on." Winston said and began walking into the woods. Diego and Estela hesitantly made their way out of the car and followed him. 

Winston came to a stop near the opening in the ground. The same hatch they saw Deputy Standall come out of a few days ago. Winston opened it and motioned for them to go down the ladder. Diego and Estela looked at him like he was crazy, which Winston understood.

"You do realize how weird this seems, right?" Diego pointed out.

Winston struggled to find the right thing to say to them, "Trust me?"

"Tell us what's down there first." Diego demanded.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You have to see for yourself." Winston said.

Diego and Estela shared a glance, "This is insane." Estela spoke as she looked down into the hole in the ground.

Diego sighed in defeat, "Fine. But you go first."

"That would probably be best anyway." He reached for the ladder, "Come down when I tell you to, okay?" 

Diego and Estela nodded, as Winston descended further into the ground. When Winston reached the floor, he saw Monty sleeping in the twin bed. 

He smiled at how peaceful Monty looked, before walking over to him and gently brushing the hair back from his face. Monty's eyes shot open in fear as he quickly sat up and looked around in the darkness.

Winston's heart dropped at how scared Monty was, "Hey, hey, don't worry. It's just me."

Monty visibly relaxed, "Winston?" He squinted as his eyes tried to adjust.

"Yeah, it's me." Winston cupped his cheek and Monty immediately leaned into it. 

"What are you doing here so late?" Monty asked.

Winston frowned. He had almost forgot about Diego and Estela waiting above them.

"Would you be opposed to some visitors?" Winston asked, nervously.

Monty's eyes widened, "Visitors? Who?"

He quickly got out of the bed and backed up into the wall. Winston walked over to him and rubbed his sides in what he hoped would be a comforting manner.

"They're two people that love you and will support you no matter what." Winston's hands reached Monty's face.

Monty began to calm down, slightly, but it didn't last, "Do they know about us?" 

"Yes, but like I said, they'll support you no matter what, okay?" Winston told him.

They were standing so close that Winston could feel how fast Monty's heart was beating. It killed him to see how terrified Monty was to show other people that side of himself.

"Okay." Monty said, even though Winston could still tell how scared he was.

Winston moved away from him, so he could go tell Estela and Diego to come down. He didn't know how they would take it. Maybe they'd be mad that Winston didn't tell them earlier. Or maybe they'd be too caught up in the fact that Monty was alive to be angry at him.

Winston went over to the ladder and climbed up. When he reached the top, he saw Diego leaning against a tree and Estela pacing. Their eyes both turned to Winston. 

"You guys can come down now." He said.

Estela and Diego looked at each other again, before walking over. Winston went back down, as Diego motioned for Estela to go first. 

She made her way down the ladder, but didn't see her brother since she looked back up at Diego, to make sure he made it down okay. Diego climbed down after her and hopped to the ground. 

He immediately looked around and froze. Standing in front of him was Monty. And he was alive.

"Holy fuck." He couldn't believe it.

At Diego's words, Estela turned around to see what he was staring at. Her breath hitched when she saw her brother. 

"Oh my god. Monty?" She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Monty lifted her off the ground and spun her around.

"I missed you so much." Monty said, as he put her down.

When she pulled back, her eyes were full of tears, "You're alive!" 

"Yeah, I am." Monty said, simply. He was unsure of what else to say. He didn't know if he'd even get to see any of them again.

Monty's eyes drifted back to where Diego and Winston were standing. Diego's hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey." Monty said.

"Hey? That's all? I thought you were fucking dead and all I get is a 'hey'?" Diego asked. 

Monty frowned, "What do you want me to say?" 

Diego shook his head and walked over to him, "Nothing, don't say anything, just come here".

Diego pulled Monty in for a hug. Diego's arms were tight around him. Monty froze, not used to this kind of affection from one of his teammates. He tentatively lifted his shaky hands to Diego's back. 

Despite Monty's hesitance, Diego continued to hug him as tight as he could. Monty could feel Diego begin to shake and he knew he was crying. Estela, who was standing behind them, reached up and wrapped her arms around both of them. Winston, unable to hold back, walked over and joined in the group hug. 

The four of them stayed like that for a few minutes, crying and hugging each other, before they heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind them.

They quickly broke apart to see Deputy Standall standing by the ladder with his arms crossed.

"Well, what do we have here?" He asked them.


	12. Part 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deputy Standall and the teens have a conversation.

When Deputy Standall's voice echoed throughout the bunker, the four teenagers worriedly looked at each other. Winston grabbed hold of Monty's arm, but Monty was too in shock from Deputy Standall appearing to worry about the others seeing it. 

"Deputy Standall, I can explain-" Monty tried to speak up but was cut off.

"Explain what? The fact that you left the bunker and told all your friends you're alive?" Deputy Standall accused him.

Winston shook his head, because that wasn't what had happened, "No, it wasn't like that."

"Shut your damn mouth, I wasn't talking to you." Deputy Standall snarled and stepped closer to the group, which made Monty grow angry.

"Hey! Back the fuck up and don't talk to him like that!" Monty demanded as he pulled Winston behind him.

Deputy Standall scoffed, "Really? I go out of my way to save your life, risking my entire career, and this is how you act?"

"That was your decision, no one made you do that. But I swear if you say one more bad thing to him I will leave this fucking bunker right now and turn myself in."

"Monty..." Winston started, but quieted down when he saw Deputy Standall walk away from them.

Deputy Standall sighed, "I should've known this would happen."

"I never left. I may have done some shitty things, but I'm not a fucking idiot." Monty explained.

Deputy Standall ran his hand through his hair, "Then how did these three find you?" 

Diego, Estela, and Winston shared a nervous glance between each other. It was obvious that Diego and Estela were still very confused about the situation. Winston looked toward Monty, who only nodded at him. Winston took it as an okay for him to tell the truth.

"We followed your truck from the police station and saw you come down here. It was all my idea, please don't blame them." Winston said, but Diego shook his head.

"It was my idea too." He said.

"And mine." Estela spoke up.

Winston looked over at them, wondering why they decided to also take blame for the idea, but they just stared forward at Deputy Standall.

"So, let me get this straight, you kids followed me? And when I left, you came down here?"

"No, actually. We all went home, but I read..." Winston paused, realizing Monty still had no idea that he had read his journal, "I had a gut feeling that maybe there would be something important down here and I was right." 

Winston was too focused on how Deputy Standall would react, to see Monty look over at him with a small smile.

Deputy Standall contemplated what he wanted to say, "Are you three the only people that know he's alive?" Diego, Estela, and Winston nodded in unison. 

Deputy Standall leaned back against a wall, "I managed to convince everyone else in town that he's dead. Hell, it's all over the local news. If word gets out that he's alive..." He trailed off.

"Why did you try to protect Monty? I mean, what was in it for you?" Diego asked.

"I'd never be able to live with myself knowing he was convicted of a crime he didn't commit." Deputy Standall said.

"How do you know he didn't do it? Is it because you know who actually did?" Winston repeated the same words he had said to Monty a few days ago.

Deputy Standall's eyes widened at the accusation, but he stayed silent. 

"Holy shit. You know who killed Bryce, don't you?" Monty reveled.

"Even if I did, it doesn't change the fact that everyone believes you're a murderer, and let's not forget the testimony Ms. Achola gave which managed to clear all of the other suspect's names." Deputy Standall pointed out.

"So Ani was the one who talked to you?" Diego asked even though he knew the answer. Deputy Standall nodded.

"That bitch." Estela mumbled. 

"Even if everyone else is cleared, Monty has a real alibi now. He was with me that night." Winston brought up.

"Can you prove that, kid?" Deputy Standall asked.

Winston suddenly remembered a Polaroid picture he took that night. Of Monty, sleeping shirtless in his bed. It was they type of Polaroid that showed the date it was taken at the bottom. 

"Yeah, I can prove it." He said.

Deputy Standall began to look panicked. He rubbed his hands up and down his face, a thin trail of sweat grazed his forehead.

"I don't understand why you're so concerned about this case. If it was your own son in this situation, I'd understand, but it isn't." 

At Winston's words, Deputy Standall looked up. His face showed a look of complete sadness and panic. Everyone seemed to put the pieces together at once.

Estela gasped, "Oh my god. It was Alex." 

"You knew this whole time." Winston said.

Deputy Standall remained quiet as they figured it out. He hadn't intended on them finding out the truth in that way, but if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know if he'd had the guts to actually tell them.

"I still don't understand why you're trying to help Monty. Alex would've gotten away with it, isn't that what you want?" Diego asked.

Deputy Standall shook his head, "No one deserves to be framed." 

"You know we could go to the police right now. We could tell them everything and Monty's name would be cleared. There's nothing stopping us." Winston declared. 

"You could. But you seem to be forgetting that everyone still thinks Monty is dead. Plus, he would immediately be arrested again, because of what he did to Tyler Down. If any cop sees him right now, they'll just suspect he was a criminal on the run and he most likely wouldn't get a trial." Deputy Standall watched the teens grow more and more worried with each word he said.

After a few seconds, Winston broke the silence, "What do you suppose we should do then?"

"I have an idea, but I need your help." Deputy Standall told them all.


	13. Part 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex asks everyone who helped cover up the murder to meet him, so they can have discussion.

Alex had texted everyone in the group chat to meet him at his house. Charlie, of course, was the first one to arrive. He walked up to the front door and knocked. When no one answered, he opened it slightly and peeked inside.

"Alex?" Charlie called out, but received no answer again.

Charlie opened the door fully and cautiously entered the house. He wasn't too worried about running into Alex's parents, since Alex wouldn't have asked everyone to come over if they were home. He made his way to Alex's room and looked inside. Alex had headphones on and was pacing back and forth with his eyes closed. 

"Alex?" Charlie tried again, but this time he walked up behind him and took of his headphones.

Alex jumped in surprise, "Jesus, don't sneak up on me like that."

Charlie held his hands up in defense, "Sorry, you didn't hear me before."

Alex took a seat on his bed, "It's fine. I didn't mean to snap at you." 

Charlie smiled, "It's okay." 

He sat down next to Alex. For a moment, they just looked into each other's eyes. Charlie began to lean closer as Alex's heart sped up-

Zach burst into Alex's room, "Hey guys!"

Charlie stood up from the bed so quickly, he almost fell down.

Zach looked between them, "Uh, did I interrupt something?"

"Nope. You didn't interrupt anything." Alex said immediately.

Charlie looked disappointed, but nodded, "Yeah, we were just waiting for everyone else to get here."

Zach looked unconvinced, but still accepted the answer. Soon enough, everyone had arrived at Alex's house. Alex and Charlie sat together on his bed, while Clay and Tyler were leaning against the wall. Tony was staring out the window, keeping lookout in case Alex's parents came home. Justin and Zach were seated on the floor as Jessica and Ani walked around the room.

"So what did you call us all here for?" Clay asked.

Alex sighed, "I'm thinking about confessing." 

Everyone looked over at him in shock, "Alex, what the hell? You can't do that." Jessica told him.

Alex shook his head, "The guilt is getting to me. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even think half of the time."

"We can figure something out, we'll all help you get through it." Zach encouraged.

"We've already tried doing that, but I'm telling you guys, it's not enough. No matter what I do, I just keep seeing myself push him in the water." Alex put his head in his hands.

"Alex, we've all had guilt before, but-" Charlie started, but Alex cut him off.

"But you've never murdered anyone! Why don't any of you get that? I'm a fucking killer and someone went down for my crime."

"Monty is dead, case closed. We can move on." Justin said.

Ani nodded in agreement, "He's right. Alex, you deserve happiness. If you turn yourself in, you're going to lose any chance at that."

"I already lost any chance of being happy when I killed Bryce." Alex reminded them. Everyone was silent for a moment, trying to process their thoughts. 

"I'm going to tell them that I was alone. You don't have to worry about anything, Jess." Alex reassured her.

"How can I not worry, Alex? You're my best friend. You've already tried to leave me once and now you're saying you're going to do it again?" Jessica shot back.

Alex didn't mean to upset her, "I wish I could take back what I did, you know that, but I'm not trying to leave anybody. I just can't go on living in this constant state of guilt."

No one knew what to say. Jessica's eyes slowly began to fill with tears. Alex broke the silence, again.

"Besides, if I don't confess, Diego, Estela, and Winston would probably just find proof."

Clay shook his head, "They wouldn't. We'd make sure of it."

"How are you gonna do that, Clay?" Alex asked.

"I-I, I don't know, but we'd figure it out." Clay stuttered.

"You all keep saying we can figure things out, but we never seem to actually be able to do that." Alex pointed out.

Tony looked away from the window, "We shouldn't be talking like this. Now's not the time to be arguing." Everyone murmured in agreement. 

"Alex, if you confess, you'll probably go to jail for life." Tyler spoke up.

Alex went to reply, but didn't get the chance to, as he was interrupted by someone opening the door to his room. Everyone turned to see Alex's dad standing in the doorway, with three familiar faces behind him.

"I think I may have figured out a way around that." Deputy Standall said.


	14. Part 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to the night of the find your drink party, where Deputy Standall tells them what his idea is.

The four teenagers stared at Deputy Standall questioningly. An idea? What the hell did that mean? 

"What kind of idea?" Monty asked.

"The kind of idea that proves your innocence for a crime you didn't commit." Deputy Standall responded.

Monty and Winston shared a confused glance, before Winston spoke, "Well, what's your idea then?"

Deputy Standall sighed before he began, "Even though it pains me to say this, Alex needs to confess." 

At their confused and surprised faces, he continued, "But not for what you think. He'll tell them that it was an accident, because technically, he's still in recovery." 

Diego cut in, "Wait, I don't understand. How could it have been an accident?"

"Alex is still unstable because of his brain injury. He could've very well tried to help Bryce up off the pier and tripped. Next thing he knows, Bryce is in the water."

"What's the catch?" Winston asked, skeptically.

"There isn't a catch, I'm just trying to make things right." Deputy Standall said.

Winston was still unconvinced, "Okay fine, so even if he confesses and everyone believes it, wouldn't Alex still have to go to jail?"

"Twelve months. That's the minimum sentence for involuntary manslaughter. If Alex can live with the guilt of actually killing someone, then he sure as hell can put up with a year in prison." Deputy Standall informed them.

"What about Ani? Didn't she make some big compelling argument about how Monty did it? And didn't she clear everyone else's names?" Estela brought up.

"I've thought a lot about that, because giving a false testimony is a serious offense. The charges could go from as little as a small fine to jail time." Deputy Standall told her. 

"As for her clearing everyone's names, she didn't do that. She tried, but she failed." Deputy Standall added.

"What do you mean she failed?" Diego asked.

"The day we found Bryce's body, the team also found car tire marks on the ground. They match perfectly with the tires on my wife's car." Deputy Standall answered.

"So you've had evidence that Alex was at the crime scene the whole time?" Winston asked.

Deputy Standall nodded, "Yes, I burned the clothes he was wearing that night too." 

"If you went through so much trouble to try and cover it up, then why are you doing this now?" Estela asked.

Deputy Standall exhaled slowly, "I tried to come up with a way for Alex to get away with it, I really did. But I just kept thinking back to how someone would be stuck in jail for life for something they didn't do. And now I think that the only way for anyone to get any peace is to take accountability for their actions."

Monty's hands turned into fists at his sides. Winston tried to reach over and take one of them, but Monty shook his head and looked up at Deputy Standall. He stopped squeezing his hands in such a constricting way. His eyes were set forward, so he didn't see the look of hurt flash across Winston's face.

"What about Monty being currently dead to the rest of the world?" Diego asked.

"That's another thing. If Montgomery were to suddenly make a reappearance, he would be arrested immediately because of his previous charges." Deputy Standall stated.

"Aren't you the one who told everybody that Monty was dead? You might lose your job when everyone finds out that Monty's alive." Diego said.

Deputy Standall let out a humorless laugh, "Oh believe me, I'm fully prepared to lose my job because of this. I'm expecting it, in fact."

As Deputy Standall told them his idea, he saw each of their different reactions. Diego nodded at most things he said, which gave the impression that he liked the idea. Estela just looked unsure. Winston was continuously glancing over at Monty, who didn't see him since he was too busy looking looked terrified.

"I need to be sure that all of you are in agreement with this. If one thing goes wrong, or one person says the wrong thing, everything could fall apart." Deputy Standall looked at them, waiting for their responses.

Diego was the first to break the silence, "I'm in."

"I'm in too." Estela agreed, "Winston?"

Estela and Diego looked over at Winston, who nodded, "Yeah, I'm in."

Everyone turned to Monty, who's gaze was firmly set on the floor. After a moment, he slowly looked up at all of them. They were staring at him expectantly. 

He was shaking slightly, as he ran his hands down his face. Before he could stop himself, he glanced over at the one person who made him feel calm. When he looked into Winston's eyes, his shaking came to a stop and he found the confidence to speak.

"Okay. I'm in." Monty said.


	15. Part 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deputy Standall tells his plan to the paranoid group and they learn the truth.

Everyone in Alex's room stared over in shock at the man standing in the doorframe.

"Dad? What are you doing home so early?" Alex asked in a panicky tone as he shifted away from Charlie.

"Well, it's a Sunday." His dad said, taking off his hat and placing it on one of Alex's dressers.

Alex facepalmed, "Oh shit. I've been so stressed, I completely forgot you don't work on Sundays."

Tony cursed silently, "I knew I shouldn't have looked away from the window."

"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Justin nervously asked.

"Enough to know you need my help." Deputy Standall said as he walked further into the room. Winston, Estela, and Diego followed him.

Everyone who was already in Alex's room looked over at them. Some were looks of anger, some of confusion, and some of fear.

"Why are they here?" Jessica gestured to the three people standing behind Deputy Standall.

"Because they're as much a part of this as all of you are." Deputy Standall supplied.

Zach scoffed, "Like hell they are." 

"We may not have killed anyone or tried to cover up a murder by framing someone innocent, but we still have every right to be here." Diego said. Everyone froze, silently thinking about how he could possibly know all of that. Plus, it wasn't good that he was repeating it in front of Deputy Standall.

"Monty wasn't innocent." Clay spat out.

"You're right, Clay." Winston spoke up, "He's done some terrible things, but that doesn't mean he deserved what happened to him."

"Maybe not, but it doesn't change the fact that what's done is done." Ani said.

Estela rolled her eyes, "What's done is done? Really, Ani? As if you didn't lie to the police and tamper with evidence."

Ani's eyes shot over to Deputy Standall to see if he had any reaction to that, but when she saw he had none, she started to put the pieces together.

"You knew I was lying during my testimony the whole time, didn't you?" She asked Deputy Standall, who nodded.

"Yes, I knew. And I wondered how could someone lie with such ease, knowing that they were destroying someone's life."

"Monty destroyed his own life, it's not our fault he died." Justin defended her. 

"Yeah, and it's not our fault that he was a fucking rapist." At Clay's words, Tyler tensed beside him.

"So was Bryce, but Ani gave him a chance." Winston pointed out.

Ani shook her head, "It wasn't like that-"

"It wasn't?" Winston countered, "Explain the difference then. Tell us all what made Bryce such a better person than Monty."

Ani looked as if she was trying to think of something to say, but ultimately came up with nothing. Winston nodded, satisfied.

"Why are you doing this?" Justin asked. "Monty was a monster."

Winston looked at him with a sad expression, "Because I saw him for the things that made him human and not for what made him a monster."

Everyone was silent at that. They slowly began to understand where the others were coming from. Estela had lost her brother, Diego had lost his best friend, and Winston... He had lost his everything.

"Contrary to what you all may think, were not here to take you down. We're here because we can help you all." Diego said.

"How could you possibly help?" Jessica asked.

"I told you, I have a plan." Deputy Standall repeated.

"What's your plan then?" Zach asked, in a somewhat annoyed tone.

Winston, Estela, and Diego glanced at each other before turning to Deputy Standall. He looked as if he was about to say something, but Alex beat him to it.

"Dad, there's no need for a plan. I'm already going to confess." Alex felt no need to hide anything from him anymore. It was obvious he already knew everything.

Deputy Standall nodded, "You are going to confess, son. Just not how you think."

"What does that mean?" Alex asked.

As Deputy Standall relayed the plan to the paranoid group, he saw each of their emotions go from fear to confusion.

"What's the point of reopening the case? If Alex confesses and gets a year in jail, what good does that do?" Jessica questioned.

"He's your own son. How could you even think about letting him do this?" Zach added.

Deputy Standall thought for a moment about how to answer their questions, "Alex said it himself, he can't live with the guilt anymore. I know my son and once his mind is set on something, there's no going back. None of you would be able to stop him from confessing."

"Everything had fallen into place. The dead was supposed to bury the dead." Ani reminded them.

"I'm not sure if that can be the case when the dead isn't as dead as you think." Winston said.

Everyone in the paranoid group shared a worried look, "What are you saying?" Justin asked.

Winston paused, glancing over at Deputy Standall. When he received a nod from him, he took it as an okay for him to tell them the truth, "Monty.. He's still alive."

No one responded to that for a moment. Most everyone's eyes went right to Tyler, who had gone rigid beside Clay. When Clay tried to put a comforting hand on Tyler's shoulder, he was quick to flinch away from it. 

"How is that possible? Deputy Standall, you told me he was dead." Ani asked in shock.

Deputy Standall shrugged, "Well you didn't tell me the truth, so why should I have?"

"That's different-" She tried to say, but Deputy Standall didn't let her.

"Is it? I could lose my job and you could go to prison." 

"Just for lying to the police? There's no way anyone would go to jail for that." Tony was quick to jump in.

"Actually, yes there is a way. Depending on how high profile the case is." Deputy Standall informed them.

"Oh god." Ani sat down on Alex's desk chair.

"If that's true, then most everyone here is going to prison because we're either accomplices or we tampered with evidence." Clay reminded them.

"I never put the cassette in Monty's locker." Charlie spoke up. 

"You didn't?" Zach asked, in surprise.

Charlie shook his head, "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I know he's done horrible things and I'm sorry, but he was my best friend. At least at some point he was." He looked over at Diego.

"Wait a minute. If Monty's still alive, then where is he?" Justin asked.

Deputy Standall shook his head, "It would be best if we didn't discuss that. No one else can know he's alive, at least not yet."

After a brief period of silence, Deputy Standall began to tell them what was going to happen.

"There's going to be a trial. Alex will plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He'll tell them that he was alone at the pier." Deputy Standall saw Jessica's eyes go wide. "And that he slipped and accidentally let Bryce fall into the river."

"Will a jury actually believe that?" Tony asked.

"You'd be surprised at what you can convince people is the truth." Deputy Standall confirmed.

"When Monty is revealed to be alive, he'll be handed into police custody once again and probably will still have to serve time for his previous crime." He added.

Alex had his head in his hands, but it wasn't because he was nervous. It was because he still felt guilty.

"I'll only be there for a year, you said?" He asked his dad, who nodded.

"That's the minimum, but they'll most likely shorten it because of your brain injury."

They continued to discuss parts of the plan for a few more minutes, before deciding to wrap up their so called meeting.

As Winston and Estela walked out of the house together, Winston felt a finger tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Charlie standing behind him, a nervous expression on his face.

"Hey..." Winston said tentatively. It sounded more like a question than an actual greeting.

Charlie scratched the back of his neck and looked toward the ground, before making eye contact with him.

"I know that Mr. Standall said we weren't supposed to know where Monty is, but I think it's pretty obvious you both do."

"What's your point?" Estela asked.

Charlie let out a deep breath, "Do you think maybe..." He trailed off. "Could I see Monty?"


	16. Part 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estela, Diego, and Winston take Charlie to see Monty.

Winston and Estela looked at each other, both silently thinking of how to respond to Charlie.

"How do we know you won't go and tell the others where he is?" Winston asked.

Charlie didn't answer for a moment. He tried to gather his thoughts and think of the right thing to say, "You can't know for sure, but like I said, Monty was my best friend. What he did was wrong, but I think he did it because of how lonely and angry he felt. I wasn't there for him and I just want to fix that." 

"What's going on?" Diego asked, coming up behind Winston and Estela.

Winston looked around, trying to see if Deputy Standall was anywhere near them. He saw him standing with Tyler, most likely trying to convince him to not say anything that could get Monty any more time when he testified.

Winston turned to Diego, "We're gonna go visit Monty." 

Diego's eyes couldn't have gone wider, "What?! With him?" He motioned to Charlie, "Deputy Standall was very clear that we-"

Winston cut him off, "I know what Deputy Standall said, but how would you feel if you couldn't see him?" 

Diego frowned, "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you." 

"Really, Diego? Now's not the time for that." Estela said, which caused Diego to hold his hands up in defense.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I was mostly kidding anyway." He put his arms back at his sides, "So when are we making our great escape?"

The four of them glanced back over at Deputy Standall, who was still deep in a conversation with Tyler, "We have to go when nobody's looking." Charlie said.

Diego rolled his eyes, "No shit."

"Diego-" Estela began, but stopped when Diego said a quick 'sorry'.

Winston ignored their antics and looked around at everybody else. Tony and Clay were leaning against Tony's mustang, waiting for Tyler to finish talking with Deputy Standall. Ani and Jessica had left to go back to Jessica's house. Zach, Alex, and Justin were still in Alex's room.

"We should be able to leave without anyone noticing." Winston told Charlie, Estela, and Diego, who nodded in response.

They all got into Winston's car and started driving toward the woods behind the police station. Charlie stared out the window, trying his best not to make eye contact with Diego, who was sitting next to him in the backseat. 

When they arrived at their destination, Charlie immediately became suspicious, "Why are we in the woods?"

Diego had already gotten out of the car at that point, and was opening the hatch, "Did you really think Monty would just be out in the open?"

Charlie shook his head and peered into the bunker, "He's down there?" 

The others nodded, which caused Charlie to back away from the opening, "Okay, someone else to down first."

Diego and Estela's eyes landed on Winston, who was already reaching for the ladder. He climbed down and was greeted with the sight of Monty sitting on his bed.

At the sound of someone descending the ladder, Monty looked over. When he saw it was Winston, he smiled, "I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon. Not that I'm complaining."

Winston walked over to where Monty was and sat down on the bed next to him. He leaned in and kissed Monty on the cheek, "I'm actually not alone."

Monty groaned, "Please tell me it's not Deputy Standall, I see enough of that man as it is."

Winston laughed, "No, it's not him. It's Diego, Estela, and someone else who just wants to fix things."

"Fix things?" Monty furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, which Winston thought was cute. 

Winston smiled and ran his thumb over them, "It'll make more sense when he comes down here." 

Monty leaned into his touch and began leaning in closer. Just as their lips were about to meet, Diego came down the ladder, "Hey man!"

"Hey!" Monty replied, as he immediately backed away and stood up, leaving Winston sitting on the bed disappointed.

Estela came down next and was quickly followed by Charlie, who had almost fell, since he stumbled a bit due to nervousness. When Monty's eyes met Charlie's, there was no denying his surprise. 

"St. George? What are you doing here?" Monty asked him.

Charlie stared at his former best friend. He didn't think the right thing to do was to run up and hug him, even though he felt the urge to, "I, um... I heard you were alive. I wanted to see you for myself, I guess."

"Wait, you heard I was alive? Who told you that?" Monty asked.

Winston answered instead of Charlie, "We just got back from Alex's house. Deputy Standall filled most everyone in on the plan."

"Who's most everyone?" Monty wondered.

"Clay, Ani, Tony, Alex, Zach, Justin, Jessica, Tyler, and I." Charlie supplied, numbering them off on his fingers as he went.

Monty sighed and sat back down on the bed next to Winston, "Tyler's gonna fucking testify against me and I'll be right back in that shit hole."

"We saw Deputy Standall talking to him before we left. He'll probably convince him not to say anything that would get you more jail time." Diego said.

Monty shook his head, "I'm already going to get more jail time. They'll think I'm some kind of escaped convict and I might not even get a fucking trial."

"You're going to get a trial. They'll find out that you had an alibi and Alex will confess." Winston began rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Monty quickly made to move away from him, which Charlie noticed.

"Dude, you really don't have to worry about that." Charlie motioned to them, "I mean, no one really cares about it anymore."

Monty glanced up at him, before burying his head in his hands, "Someone cares. Someone who I'm going to have to face at the trial." He paused, "If I even have one."

"Who?" Winston asked.

Monty looked up at him, with tears beginning to shine in his eyes, "My dad."


	17. Part 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty goes to the police station.

As Winston looked into Monty's tear filled eyes, he had never felt more powerless. There was so much he wanted to do, but couldn't. Winston longed to protect him and keep him as far away from his father as possible.

Winston felt the strong urge to just hold him in his arms and never let him go, but he didn't, because he knew Monty wasn't ready for that. At least not in front of people. Winston didn't know what else to do besides sadly nod at him.

No one responded to what Monty had said. Diego awkwardly shuffled over to him and placed a, what he hoped would be comforting, hand on his shoulder.

"We're all going to be there for you, you know that." Estela said as she came over and sat beside Monty, on the opposite side of Winston.

Monty huffed, "Yeah, I might have you three, but everyone else in the world is against me."

"I'll be there." Charlie said, tentatively.

Monty looked up at him, "You? Really? The one who planted fake evidence in my gym locker?"

Charlie shook his head, "I didn't do that."

Monty gave him a questioning glance, "You didn't? Why? Wouldn't you have been protecting all your little friends if you did?"

Charlie looked at the ground, "I didn't do it because I cared about you. I still do."

"Why? I'm a terrible person." Monty said.

"I don't believe that. Sure, you fucked up, but that doesn't mean you deserve to framed for murder."

Monty shrugged, "Maybe I do deserve-"

Charlie cut him off, "You don't."

Monty didn't respond, he only shook his head and stared at the ground. A few seconds of silence passed between them all, before they were alarmed by the sound of Charlie's phone beeping.

"Oh shit." Charlie cursed, which caused everyone to look over at him.

"What is it?" Winston asked.

Charlie looked up from his phone screen, "Jess just texted me. Alex is going in to confess, like, right now."

"Which means..." Diego trailed off and turned to Monty, who's face had gone pale.

Monty let out a shaky breath, "I have to go back to the police station." He recalled from the plan. 

Winston, Estela, Diego, and Charlie all looked at each other, unsure of what to say. 

"Estela's right, we'll all be there for you. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, all that matters is the truth, alright?" Winston said as he placed his hand under Monty's chin in order to get him to face him. Monty was too nervous to pull away or worry about what the others would think. He only stared forward into Winston's expressive eyes and eventually, he nodded and stood up.

The five of them quickly made their way out of the bunker. Monty squinted when he made it to the surface, since he hadn't seen any sunlight in days. 

Winston reached into his coat pocket and tossed Diego his keys. Diego caught them and climbed into the driver's seat as Charlie hopped in the passenger seat. Estela and Winston crammed into the back on either side of Monty.

Monty's heavy breathing filled the silence during the drive. It was clear he was terrified, even though he tried not to show it. Winston saw through it, however, and reached over to grab one of Monty's hands, while Estela leaned her head on her brother's shoulder.

Monty looked down at he and Winston's interlocked hands. Although there were other people in the car, he made no move to take his hand back. He tightened his grip around Winston's fingers and continued to stare down at them until they arrived at the police station.

It, of course, was a very short drive, since the woods were just a few blocks away from the police station. There were more cars in the parking lot than usual, which meant that Alex and the rest of the paranoid group must have already arrived.

Diego stopped the car and turned around to look at Monty, "Are you ready?"

"How could anyone be ready for this?" At Monty's words, Winston pulled Monty's hand up and pressed his lips to it. 

"Can I have a minute alone with my brother?" Estela asked. Winston, Diego, and Charlie all nodded and got out of the car.

Estela wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes and pulled Monty into a hug. It was a bit of an awkward angle, considering they were still in the car, but they managed to make it work.

"I love you, Monty." Estela said through her sniffling.

"Me too." Monty replied, trying his best not to let his emotions get the best of him. 

When they finally let go of each other, Monty hesitantly opened the door. He stepped out and saw Winston, Diego, and Charlie waiting by the curb.

Monty walked up to them and tried to find the right words to say, but ultimately he couldn't. He muttered a quick 'bye' and began walking toward the front entrance.

Estela had attached herself to Diego and was quietly sobbing into his side as he kept a comforting arm around her. Charlie kept glancing around, looking for any signs of the paranoid group or Deputy Standall. Winston just stared forward, watching the person he cared about more than anyone walk away from him.

Monty had just reached the doors, when he glanced back at them. He frowned, knowing that this could possibly be the last time he'd get to do this. He ran back to Winston. 

Winston stared at him in both confusion and shock, but didn't have much time to think as Monty's arms were suddenly wrapped around him tightly. 

Winston's arms were trapped under Monty's, but he still tried his best to return the embrace. Monty pressed his head into Winston's hair and breathed in deeply. Then without a word and as soon as he was there, he was gone again. 

Winston, Estela, Diego, and Charlie watched him disappear into the police station. They saw the woman working at the front desk immediately call for help. They saw two men in police uniforms grab Monty by the arms. And finally, they saw Monty being put into handcuffs as he was taken back into the station.


	18. Part 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex confesses to Sheriff Diaz, Winston remembers something that can help with Monty’s case.

Sheriff Diaz stared at the boy, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

"He said some guys came by and tried to mug him. Bryce put up a fight, but it was one of him against three of them."

"So these men assaulted Bryce Walker and as a result, he was unable to get up off the ground himself?" Sheriff Diaz questioned.

Alex nodded, "Yes. He begged me to help him, so I did. Or, I tried at least."

Sheriff Diaz leaned forward, "What does that mean, Alex?"

"I tried to help him up, but I slipped. My brain injury isn't completely healed yet and I couldn't hold onto him when I tripped. I made him fall into the water."

Sheriff Diaz was silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say, "What were you doing on the pier that night?"

"I wanted to clear my head and the pier seemed like a calm, quiet place to go. When I arrived, I saw Bryce on the ground, in pain." Alex paused, "What was I supposed to do? Just leave him there?"

"No, Alex. I do believe you tried to do the right thing, but it doesn't change the fact that what you've done is involuntary manslaughter."

Alex's eyes welled up with tears that he tried his best not to shed, "I know."

Sheriff Diaz sat back, "Well, I can't convict you of a crime. I don't have the power to do so, but you will have to stand before a judge and plead guilty."

Alex let out an uneven breath, "Okay."

Sheriff Diaz nodded and stood up, "I need to go make a few arrangements for the trial, someone will be here to take you to a holding cell."

Alex looked terrified at those words, but still nodded as tears ran down his face.

Sheriff Diaz walked out of the room and sighed as different thoughts began to race through his mind. Why was Alex reopening the case? Could it be guilt? Or was there something more intense going on?

He got the answer to his question when he heard a shouting noise come from the front desk. There stood Montgomery de la Cruz, and he was alive. He was quickly dragged away, but Sheriff Diaz made no move to follow him since he was in shock.

"What the hell.." Sheriff Diaz said under his breath. He looked across the room and saw Deputy Standall.

He quickly stormed over to him, "Care to explain why Montgomery de la Cruz is still alive?"

Deputy Standall shrugged, "Maybe someone realized he wasn't safe here and tried to give him the chance he deserved at life."

Sheriff Diaz gave him a confused look, "You know what that kid was originally brought in here for, right?"

"Yeah, I do know..." Deputy Standall contemplated his next words. "But I also know that he doesn't deserve to be framed for murder."

Sheriff Diaz, "How could you possibly have known he was framed?"

Deputy Standall sighed, "I know it like I know Alex was confessing in that room just now."

"And you're okay with your own kid getting locked up? Why not just let De la Cruz take the fall?" Sheriff Diaz asked.

Deputy Standall looked at Sheriff Diaz like he was crazy, "Are you even listening to yourself right now? Letting someone innocent be in prison for life?"

Sheriff Diaz scoffed, "Innocent? Montgomery is a rapist."

"And his father is abusive, but we never did anything about that." Deputy Standall countered.

At Sheriff Diaz's silence, Deputy Standall continued, "I'm not justifying what he's done, but maybe we could've prevented some of the things that happened."

Sheriff Diaz looked at the ground, before turning and walking away in the direction of the courthouse.

As Deputy Standall watched him leave, his eyes landed on four familiar faces standing outside the police station. He quickly made his way to them. Charlie noticed him first, since he was already glancing around, trying to locate any other members of the paranoid group. 

"Deputy Standall!" He called out.

Estela tore her head away from Diego's arm and saw Deputy Standall walking over. Winston didn't hear or see any of it. He was still staring forward at the place where Monty had disappeared.

"Hey guys." Deputy Standall greeted, less than enthusiastically.

"So? Did Alex confess yet?" Diego asked.

Deputy Standall nodded, "Yeah, he's most likely being transferred to a holding cell as we speak."

"Holy shit." Charlie swore. Deputy Standall could see the fear in his eyes, "Everyone else is in the waiting room, if you wanted to go see them."

Charlie couldn't have gotten in there faster. As soon as he was gone, Estela began asking Deputy Standall multiple questions about her brother. Diego looked over at where Winston was standing and noticed that he still hadn't moved.

"Hey. You okay?" Diego asked as he approached him.

Winston shook his head, "I just... I thought I lost him once. I can't lose him again."

Diego looked at him sadly, "You won't. You have proof he was with you that night, right?"

Winston nodded, then suddenly looked as if he remembered something, "My mom!"

Diego was confused, "Uh, what about your mom?"

"She's a lawyer who takes on tons of pro bono cases. I bet I could convince her to take on Monty's."

Diego's eyes widened, but then he grinned. Estela and Deputy Standall walked over to them.

"What was that about Monty?" Deputy Standall asked.

"Diego will fill you in, but I have to go." Winston told them.

"Go?! What are you talking about?" Estela asked as Winston raced over to his car.

"You might need these!" Diego yelled and threw Winston his car keys.

Winston caught them and smiled as he got into his car. And although he was scared, for the first time in a while, he also felt hopeful.


	19. Part 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty and Alex talk, Monty meets Winston’s mom aka his attorney.

Monty stared at the floor of the holding cell he was brought into. His situation felt eerily familiar to the one he'd been in a few weeks ago. He never wanted to be back here, yet here he was. It was a different cell this time, much smaller and everything was on the opposite side.

He scratched at whatever uncomfortable material the prison uniforms were made out of. He didn't think he'd miss wearing Alex's clothes, but as soon as they were taken away from him, he immediately wanted them back.

Monty paced around the confined room, before leaning back against the wall. He rested his head on it and closed his eyes. Visions of pretty brown eyes and wavy hair came into mind. He let himself smile as he remembered the way Winston made him feel. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a cell door opening. It was too far away to be his own. When he opened his eyes, he saw someone being put into the cell directly across from him. Monty's eyes widened when he saw who it was. 

"Alex?" He asked.

Alex was startled and looked over at Monty. He gaped in surprise, but quickly looked away and sat down on the bed.

"Fuck." Alex mumbled, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his head on them.

"So, you did it? You..." Monty lowered his voice, "You confessed."

Alex was silent for a moment, before nodding, "I had to." 

Monty didn't know if he should be grateful towards Alex or be mad at him. If it weren't for him, Bryce would still be alive. 

Last year, Monty had thought that Bryce was the only person on his side, but now he realized that that wasn't true. He had Diego, Estela, and maybe even Charlie. Most importantly he had Winston, the one person who made him feel alive and like things would be okay.

"Thanks." Monty said. He immediately regretted it.

Alex scoffed, "Don't fucking thank me. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now.

Monty walked closer to the door of his cell, gripping onto the bars with his hands, "Why not? We're both fucked anyway."

Alex shook his head, "No, we're not. Haven't you heard the plan? I confess, your name is cleared. The end."

"That is most definitely not the end. Even if my name is cleared, I'm still gonna have to do time." Monty reminded him.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you ra-" Alex cut himself off, not wanting to finish his own sentence.

"I know." Monty said, "I just felt like everything was over for me. He fucked up our baseball season and I... I don't know." Monty stammered out, not sure why he was telling him all of this.

"So why are you even going along with this plan if you think that everything's over for you?" Alex asked.

Monty thought about that for a second, "Because for the first time, I feel like I have something... someone worth fighting for."

Alex looked up at Monty, his eyes full of understanding. He opened his mouth to say something else, but didn't get the chance when two men came to Monty's cell. One of them had a set of keys and unlocked the door.

One of the men came into the cell and grabbed Monty by the arm. Monty was placed back into a waist chain, like he was when his father visited him.

Monty knew he probably should've kept his mouth shut, but couldn't help asking, "What's going on?" 

"An attorney has decided to represent you in court, we're taking you to meet with her." 

"A attorney?" Monty asked in surprise.

The prison guards didn't bother responding to him. They lead him down a long hallway and into a visitation room. There sat a woman, who looked like she was in her late forties. She had dark brown hair that reminded him of Winston's. He pushed his thoughts aside, when the woman looked up at him.

"Montgomery?" She asked, with a small smile.

He nodded as the guards worked to take off the chains. One of them pushed him forward by the shoulder and muttered something about him having ten minutes. 

Monty walked forward and sat down at the table she was sitting at. She had all kinds of paperwork and folders in front of her.

"My name is Beverly Williams, I'm going to be taking on your case."

Monty gave her a look of confusion, "I don't understand. Who's paying you for this?" He knew for sure his dad wouldn't have hired her.

"No one, Montgomery. I've agreed to take on your case pro bono."

"What does that mean?" Monty asked.

"Many attorneys are required to render at least fifty hours of legal services without pay per year. I decided that you would be one of the cases I take on."

Monty was still confused, "Why me?" 

Beverly smiled once again, "That's not important right now. What is, however, is getting the facts straight. I'm going to ask you a few questions and I need you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

"Okay." Monty said, even though he was far from being okay.

"Currently, you're being held under arrest for first degree sexual assault against Tyler Down, is that correct?" She asked.

Monty grimaced, "Yes."

Beverly located a piece of paper on the table and read it, before looking back up at Monty, "Now, when Tyler Down filed this report, he mentioned that you weren't alone. Can you tell me the names of the other people who aided you in this crime?"

Monty wondered why Tyler had left out their names and only told the police his, "Kenneth Pierce and Taylor Anderson."

Beverly nodded and wrote something down in her notebook.

"Are they gonna get charged too?" Monty asked.

Beverly looked up from her notebook, "They most likely won't, since Mr. Down didn't mention their names in his report."

Monty huffed, "Figures."

"Don't worry, Montgomery. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you get the minimum amount of punishment." Beverly assured him.

"Maybe I shouldn't get the minimum amount." Monty said quietly.

"Why do you say that?" Beverly asked.

"You know what I did." Monty paused, "I don't even deserve to be alive, right now." 

"Don't say that, Montgomery-"

"It's Monty." He corrected her. He'd grown tired of hearing his full name.

"Okay, Monty it is." She thought carefully about what she was going to say next. "And yes, I know what you did, but I also know that anyone who says something like that, feels remorse."

Monty didn't say anything to that, but he knew it was true. He regretted what he did more than anything.

"I'm sure you're aware that you were considered a prime suspect in the murder of Bryce Walker." Beverly flipped through some of the pages of Monty's file.

"Yeah, but I didn't do it." Monty said.

Beverly nodded, "I know. A few hours ago, a boy named Alex Standall gave a confession that he'd committed the murder."

Monty pretended to looked shocked, "Wow. I, uh, I can't believe it."

Beverly gave him an unconvinced look, "Your trial should take place within the next few days, maybe even sooner." 

Monty watched her gather up her papers, "Wait, that's it?"

"You're more prepared for this than you think." When she saw Monty's confused face, she added, "You regret what you've done, don't you?" 

Instead of waiting for a response, she stood up. She took one more look at the boy in front of her, "You deserve to be alive, Monty. I hope you know that."


	20. Part 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial takes place and an arrest is made.

It had been two days. Two days and the trial was already taking place. To some people, it may have seemed too soon, but to Winston, it felt long overdue. Deputy Standall had called Winston early in the morning to tell him that the trial would take place that day.

Winston, who hadn't been able to sleep anyway, immediately drove to the courthouse. He met up with his mom, who told him that the trial would happen in a few hours. He tried to ask more questions and get more answers about it, but his mom didn't think it would be a good idea for him to know.

When his mom left to go prepare for the upcoming trial, Winston texted Diego and Estela and told them what was going on. Diego responded that he was on his way. Estela had to wait until her parents left the house, which Winston assumed was going to be a long time. 

The news had gotten around town that Monty was alive and it was all anybody was talking about. Monty and Estela's parents of course found out. Estela didn't like talking about it, but she told Winston and Diego that she'd never seen her dad more angry. 

Diego arrived quickly and saw Winston sitting alone in the main hall of the courthouse. They talked for a little while, before Diego stood up, announcing that he needed to stretch his legs. 

When Diego left, Winston pulled out a Polaroid picture from his pocket. He stared at it, admiring the way Monty looked. He almost looked happy, a small smile was planted on his face as he laid in Winston's bed. Winston could look at the picture all day and not just because it alibied Monty. The date in the bottom right corner proved his innocence.

"Winston?" A voice called from close by, but Winston didn't hear it. He was too caught up in his mind, letting his thoughts race back and forth.

If Monty ends up going to prison again, when will he get out? Would he ever get out? Is he going to be okay? Would he forget about me? Would he still want to be with me after he got out? Would he-

"Winston!" The voice called again.

Winston heard it this time and looked up, shoving the picture back into his pocket. Diego was standing in front of him, trying to get his attention by waving his hand in front of his face. 

"Sorry. I kinda spaced out for a second." Winston apologized.

"It's all good. I was just gonna go get a snack, do you want anything?" Diego motioned to the row of vending machines behind him.

Winston shook his head, "I don't think I'd be able to keep any food down right now."

Diego frowned, but nodded. Deciding that food wasn't as important as comforting Winston, he sat down next to him. 

"I know how intense this all is. It's stuff we shouldn't even have to think about at this age, but we have to. For Monty." Diego said.

"I know." Winston stared down at his hands, "I'd do anything for him."

Diego turned to look at Winston, "Do you love him?" 

Winston didn't say anything for a moment, but then slowly nodded, "Yeah, I think I do."

At Diego's silence, Winston laughed nervously, "That probably sounds crazy, since I've only known him for-"

"It not crazy." Diego cut him off. "And with the way he looks at you when you're not looking, I'd say he loves you too." Diego said and nudged Winston in the shoulder.

Winston smiled, "Thanks." 

Diego grinned back, but then suddenly thought of something, "What were you looking at before I came over here?"

Winston debated on whether or not to show Diego the Polaroid, since it seemed sort of private. But then he remembered that soon an entire courtroom was going to see it. He pulled the picture back out and handed it to Diego.

Diego's eyes widened, "You took this the night Bryce died?"

Winston nodded as Diego studied the picture, "I've never seen him like this. He looks... peaceful."

Winston grinned, "Yeah, he does."

Diego gave the picture back to Winston after a moment, then leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. 

Winston only stopped staring at the picture when Estela came over to both of them.

"Hey guys." She greeted them, solemnly.

Diego immediately stood up, "Where are they?" 

Estela knew who he was asking about and pointed to the entrance of the courtroom, "They just went inside. Mom's been crying since she woke up." Estela lowered her voice, "Dad just looks pissed."

"They went in there?" Winston asked. "That must mean the trial's about to start." 

As if on cue, Sheriff Diaz walked out the courtroom, "The trial will begin in a few minutes." He walked back inside.

Everyone who was waiting in the hall made their way into the courtroom, as Estela, Diego, and Winston looked between each other. 

Winston turned to Estela, "Are you ready?" 

"I think I should be asking you that, since you're a witness and all." Estela said quietly.

Winston sighed, "Just because I'm Monty's alibi doesn't mean I'm any more important to the case than either of you."

"Um, yes it does." Estela pointed out.

"It doesn't matter who's more important. Let's just all go in together, alright?" Diego reasoned. Winston and Estela agreed. 

Estela grabbed hold of Diego's arm as they walked in. They saw Deputy Standall and Sheriff Diaz standing together in the corner, talking. They fell silent as soon as they saw the three of them enter.

Estela let go of Diego's arm when her father turned around. Luckily, he didn't see it. 

"Estela, come over here now." He demanded, from the first row of seats on the right side. Estela gave an apologetic look to Diego and Winston as she went to sit with her parents. Winston and Diego both decided to sit together in the second row. 

Beverly turned around in her seat when she heard people begin to enter the room. Her and Winston shared a glance for a split second, before she turned back around.

As minutes went on, more and more people filtered into the room. Soon, many members of Football team were there. Because Monty was eighteen, the trial was allowed to be viewed by the public. 

Winston turned around just in time to see Nora Walker enter the room. She had her usual look of determination on her face. He expected her to take a seat in the front row, considering this trial was partially about who killed her son, but surprisingly she took a seat in the very back, alone.

Winston was about to tell Diego, when he was nudged in the shoulder and Diego pointed out the paranoid group walking in. Clay stood protectively next to Tyler, as Justin and Jessica walked in behind them. Zach, Ani, and Tony all arrived separately.

"Are you scared of what Tyler's going to say during his testimony?" Diego asked Winston, almost whispering.

"Terrified." Winston replied.

Diego went to say something else, but didn't get the chance when a separate door on the side of the courtroom opened. No one said anything as Monty walked out, two guards on either side of him. Monty's eyes were faced toward the floor. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all in the past few days.

He took his seat next to Beverly, who gave him an encouraging smile that Monty was too nervous to return.

Not even five seconds later did Alex walk in and take his seat on the left side, next to a public defender. Deputy Standall didn't think it was necessary to pay for an attorney, since he was pleading guilty anyway.

Alex, surprisingly, didn't look terrible. He didn't look as if he'd been losing sleep, like Monty. In a strange way, he looked better, relieved even.

Everyone went quiet again when Judge Campbell entered the room, "All rise." Clay remembered him from Hannah's trial.

Everybody stood up, "This court is now in session." The bailiff stated.

Judge Campbell sat down, "You may be seated."

He gave a brief overview of what the case was about, before asking both sides if they were ready, to which they both said yes.

Judge Campbell flipped through pages of what looked to be Alex's file, "Alex Standall, in the case of Bryce Walker's murder, you previously plead guilty, is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor." Alex said.

"Is this how you wish to plead, now?" Judge Campbell asked him.

"Yes, your honor." Alex repeated.

"Your honor, if I may?" His defender asked.

Judge Campbell nodded at the man to continue, "Let me point out that this is Mr. Standall's first offense, one that was heavily influenced by the state of his brain injury caused by a gunshot would to the head."

Alex didn't even flinch as the word 'gunshot' was spoken.

"I would like to request that his sentence be adjusted to fit his ailment. Thank you, your honor." He sat down.

Ailment? Alex had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Judge Campbell nodded as he thought about what had been said, before turning to Beverly.

"Defense, you may now call your first witness."

Beverly stood up, "Thank you, your honor. I'd like to call Amorowat Achola to the stand."

Ani glanced nervously at Jessica, who was seated beside her. Jessica gave her an encouraging look, "It's going to be okay." She told her.

Ani nervously nodded and stood up. She made her way to the stand as Beverly walked up to her.

"Amorowat, is it true that you gave a testimony to Bill Standall about what you knew regarding Bryce Walker's murder?"

"Yes, that's true." Ani said.

Beverly paced in front of the stand, "Is it also true that you lied in this testimony?" 

"Yes, but-"

"And you did this to cover for your friend, Alex, correct?" Beverly cut her off.

"I was just trying to-"

"It's a yes or no question, Amorowat."

Ani sighed, "Yes."

"So everything you said in your testimony was all false information, is that right?"

Ani shook her head, "No, not everything."

Beverly paused, "Okay, tell the court what was true then."

"Um," Ani faltered, "Well, I told the truth about everyone's alibis."

"But didn't you also give Alex an alibi? What exactly makes you a credible source? If you lied about Alex's whereabouts, who's to say you didn't lie about everyone else's?" 

"Because I was trying to protect him!" Ani had to stop herself from actually slapping her hand over her own mouth.

Beverly nodded, "No further questions."

"You may step down." Judge Campbell told Ani.

Ani gave Alex an apologetic look as she left the stand, but he shook his head to show that it didn't matter to him.

"Defense, you may now call your second witness."

"Thank you, your honor. I'd like to call to the stand, Winston Williams." 

Winston went rigid in his seat, clearly nervous. Estela turned around and gave him a small encouraging smile.

"You got this, brother." Diego said from beside him.  
Winston nodded and stood up to walk to the stand.

Beverly never thought she'd have to see her own son in a courtroom. She pushed aside the thoughts and began to ask her questions.

"Winston, is it true that Montgomery was with you the night Bryce Walker was killed?" Beverly asked.

"Yes, he was with me that whole weekend." Winston confirmed.

"Do you have evidence to back your claim up?" 

Winston nodded, "Yes, I do." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the polaroid and gave it to his mom.

Beverly handed the picture to Judge Campbell who examined it before nodding and giving it back to her.

"Winston, this is a Polaroid picture that couldn't have possibly been edited, correct?"

"If I would've edited it, you'd be able to tell. It's nearly impossible to do so."

"No further-" Beverly went to say, but was cut off by the public defender.

"Your honor, I'd like to cross examine the witness."

"I'll allow it." Judge Campbell said as Beverly rolled her eyes and sat down.

"Winston, what was the nature of you and Montgomery's relationship?"

"Uh, we're friends." Winston said, confused on where he was going with this.

"Were you ever sexually involved with Montgomery?"

Beverly stood up immediately, "Objection! Relevance?"

"Your honor, it's necessary to establish their relationship for possible motives."

"I'll allow it." Judge Campbell said. 

Winston looked at Monty, who couldn't have been more mortified. His head was in his hands as he looked down at the floor. 

"Yes." Winston said after a moment. He didn't want to out Monty, but he knew that he couldn't lie.

"No tendré un maricón en mi casa!" Monty's dad shouted as he stood up. Monty flinched at his father's harsh words.

"Carlos, not now." Monty's mom said quietly as she tugged on his arm for him to sit back down. Monty's dad, Carlos, huffed and crossed his arms as he sat down. 

"No further questions, your honor." The public defender said, with a slight smirk. Beverly glared at his smug expression as he sat back down. 

Judge Campbell wrote something down, then looked back up at the courtroom. 

"After hearing both sides," He looked at Alex, "Alex Standall, I find you guilty of involuntary manslaughter."

Alex looked back at his dad, who was trying his best to hold in his tears. Sheriff Diaz, who was standing next to Deputy Standall, whispered something to him. Deputy Standall's eyes widened, but he nodded and Sheriff Diaz left the courtroom.

Alex wondered where he was going or what he was doing, but when he heard Judge Campbell begin speaking again, he turned back around.

"Because of your condition, I'm to shortening your sentence to eight months in the county jail."

"Thank you, your honor." The public defender said as he stood up. Two guards came over to where Alex was sitting and took him out of the courtroom.

Alex left willingly. He was grateful for a shorter sentence, but still felt as though he deserved more time.

Judge Campbell adjusted his glasses, "Now, Montgomery was also accused of first degree sexual assault, how does he plead?"

Beverly motioned for Monty to stand up. He looked completely terrified. Winston wanted more than anything to pull Monty into his arms and protect him from everything that was hurting him.

"Guilty." He said and immediately sat back down.

"Would those accused like to make an official statement?" 

Monty's eyes widened and he looked at Beverly.

"Remember what you told me when we first met? You said you regretted what you did, right?" She asked Monty, who nodded.

"You have to go up there and convince the judge that, okay?" 

Monty shook his head, "But, I don't have anything prepared to say." 

"You do. I know you do. You're a better person than you think you are." Beverly told him. 

"Okay." He let out a deep breath.

Beverly stood up, "My client would like to make a statement. Thank you, your honor."

As Monty slowly made his way to the stand, he could feel his dad's glare on him. When he finally got up there, his eyes searched for Winston, who have him an encouraging nod.

"I'm so sorry, Tyler." Monty sobbed out. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I know that me saying that doesn't change anything and I know that it doesn't take away any of the pain I caused you. But if I could take back, I would. I was just angry and I let it take over." Monty shook his head, "There's no excuses for my actions, but you have to know that I am truly sorry and I will never do anything like that ever again."

Monty let his head fall onto the podium. Beverly went over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She guided him back over where they were seated. Monty buried his head in his hands to try and hide his tears.

Behind him, his dad shook his head, "Fucking faggot." He mumbled.

"Dad..." Estela began, but stopped when she saw how mad he looked.

"Tyler Down, you filed this report, would you like to make an official statement?" Judge Campbell asked.

Everyone's eyes traveled to Tyler's shaking form. Clay was whispering something in his ear as Tony rubbed his back in an attempt to be comforting.

Tyler nodded at whatever Clay had told him and stood up. He made his way to the podium, glancing back at Deputy Standall, who nodded at him. Tyler let out a shaky breath before speaking.

"For the longest time, I hated you, Monty. I hated what you did to me and I hated how much it affected everything in my life." He looked up at Monty and made eye contact with him as he spoke in an uneven tone. 

"But when I thought that you had died, my first thought wasn't 'I'm glad he's dead'. It was 'It's all my fault he's dead' and I felt sorry. I felt bad for you."

A tear fell down Monty's face, which Winston saw and desperately wanted to wipe away.

Tyler continued, "And so I believe that if given the chance, Monty will be able to get better. Same with Taylor and Kenneth. I don't think any additional time in prison will do him any good, because if you treat people like criminals, they're going to act like criminals. I do, however, think maybe anger management would do them good."

"Monty is just a broken person that no one's tried to fix." Tyler concluded his statement with a whispered 'thank you' and left the stand.

"Thank you, Mr. Down. We're going to take a quick recess at this time and when we come back we will be ready to announce the verdict." Judge Campbell stated.

Monty's breath hitched. In just a few minutes, he'd find out whether or not he'd have to go back to prison. 

"Hey," Beverly said from beside him, "You did great up there."

Monty shook his head, "That doesn't matter. I'm still guilty. I'm still a fucking monster."

"You know what does matter though? Your regret. No monster regrets what they've done and believe me, I've met a lot of monsters in my career."

Monty slowly nodded, "Okay."

Monty, in need of more comfort, turned around in search of the one person he wanted to see. His eyes locked on Winston, who was talking with Diego. When Winston saw that Monty was looking at him, he quickly forgot he was in the middle of a conversation and turned all his attention to Monty.

Since they weren't able to talk to each other, Winston could only smile at him. Monty, for the first time in days, smiled back.

"This court is back in session." The bailiff announced and everyone went silent again.

Judge Campbell cleared his throat, "After hearing both sides of this story, I hereby sentence Montgomery de la Cruz to six months probation."

Beverly put her hand on Monty's shoulder, "No jail time." She said, excitedly. 

"He will attend court mandated therapy and anger management classes..." Judge Campbell continued to discuss Monty's verdict, but most everyone tuned him out. They had already heard the important part, Monty was free.

Estela's face broke out into a wide smile, that she did her best to hide from her father, who was currently shaking his head, mumbling angry words to himself. Her mother's tears turned from sad ones to happy ones.

The paranoid group had mixed reactions. Clay and Tony seemed mad at the verdict, while Zach and Justin oddly enough, seemed alright with it. Tyler didn't know what to feel. He was glad that Monty was getting another chance, but at the same time didn't know if he did the wrong thing.

Winston and Diego looked at each other with the same happy expression. Diego was beaming from ear to ear as Winston smiled widely.

The celebrations were cut short, however, as the door of the courtroom was slammed open and there stood Sheriff Diaz.

"Carlos de la Cruz?" He called from the back fo the courtroom.

Carlos looked at the man approaching him, "What? What's going on?" 

"You are under arrest for child abuse." Sheriff Diaz informed him.

"Wait, what the hell?" Carlos asked, as Sheriff Diaz pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Turn around and place your hands behind your back." Sheriff Diaz said.

Estela put a hand over her mouth and her mom pulled her into her arms. Monty watched in shock as his dad was put in handcuffs.

Carlos swore loudly at Sheriff Diaz, who was completely unfazed by it and continued reading him his Miranda rights. Diego pulled Winston closer to him as Carlos was dragged by them.

When Carlos was finally taken from the room, Winston immediately looked over at Monty, who's eyes were wide as he stared at the door. 

"Monty?" Winston went over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. 

"Holy shit." Monty breathed out, unable to believe what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so so sorry this took so long! My schedule has been pretty hectic lately and I haven’t found time to write :( but thank you to everyone reading this!


	21. Part 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Monty’s trial

Monty's eyes hadn't left the entrance of the courtroom since his dad was dragged out of it. He knew Winston was standing in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the doors.

"Monty?" Winston had been repeating his name, trying to get his attention.

Ultimately deciding that just calling his name wasn't working, Winston put his other hand on the opposite side of Monty's head and pulled him closer so that they were face to face.

Monty's eyes finally focused on something other than the doors as he made eye contact with the boy he cared about more than anything.

"Monty... Are you okay?" Winston's face was full of concern.

"I-I don't know." Monty said, being honest.

"That's alright." At Monty's confused glance, Winston continued, "You don't need to be okay right now, considering what just happened."

Monty nodded and leaned his forehead against Winston's, seemingly forgetting everyone else around them. They stayed like that for a few seconds, both of Winston's hands on either side of Monty's face, while Monty closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths. When Monty pulled away he realized everyone in the room was staring at them. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked over at his mom and sister. Estela was still wrapped in her mom's embrace, but she had a look on her face that told Monty he should come over to them.

Monty glanced back at Judge Campbell to see if it was okay to do so. He and Beverly were caught up in a conversation that Monty assumed was about his dad's arrest.

He decided it was probably okay and began walking over to meet both of them. Estela untangled herself from her mom's arms and launched herself at her brother. Monty smiled as he hugged her. 

After a few moments, they let go of each other. Monty immediately looked up at his mom, who was watching them with tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"Don't cry, mom." Monty told her.

She didn't say anything. She just moved forward and pulled her son into her arms and held him. 

"I missed you so much." She said, still embracing him.

Monty pulled back, surprised, "You did?"

"Of course I did." She told him, "Honey, I love you more than my own life. I was so devastated when I thought you were..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

"I never agreed with anything your father thought. I was just too afraid to say anything. I'm so sorry." She said.

Monty shook his head, "I'm the one who should be sorry, mom."

"That doesn't matter, right now. I want you to come home, Monty." She said.

Monty's eyes widened as tears formed in them, "Really?" He asked and his mom nodded, bringing him back in for another hug. Estela smiled and joined in.

About a half hour passed and soon everyone had left the courtroom. Monty was free to go home for the day, since his first therapy session was tomorrow. When everyone started to leave, he tried to find Beverly. 

When he found her standing in the hallway, Monty tapped her on the shoulder, unsure of how he should greet her. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Hello, Monty." She said, cheerfully.

"Hey, Beverly. I just wanted to say thank you. I mean, seriously, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me." Monty said, sincerely.

Beverly had a slight smirk on her face, "Don't thank me, thank my son."

"Who's your son?" Monty asked, thoroughly confused.

Beverly only smiled wider and pointed behind Monty. When he turned around, he saw Winston walking up to them. Suddenly all the pieces put themselves together in his mind. 

"Hey." Winston said, smiling.

"Hi." Monty replied, looking at him and then at Beverly, recognizing all of their similarities.

"How did I not put that together?" He asked more to himself than either of them.

Winston laughed, "You didn't know?"

Monty grinned, "I was under a lot of stress, okay?" 

Beverly looked between them and smiled knowingly, "I'll be outside if anyone needs me."

"I'll meet you out there in a minute, mom." Winston told her.

As she walked out of the building, Winston put his hand on Monty's arm. Monty looked over at him, before smiling.

"Do you wanna maybe, sit down or something so we can talk?" Winston asked him.

Monty nodded, "Yeah, sure." 

Winston guided them to a bench along the wall of the main hall. 

"I know I already asked this, but are you okay? I mean, be honest with me."

Monty thought for a second before responding, "I feel like for the first time, I could be." 

Winston grinned, "I'm glad."

Monty smiled back at him, but Winston could see that some sort of pain was still behind it.

"Tyler was wrong, you know. You're not broken." Winston told him.

Monty shook his head, "I am though. But he was wrong about no one trying to fix me. Thank you for never giving up on me."

Winston smiled, "I'll never give up on you." After a few moments, "I love you." 

Monty froze as his eyes widened, "You... No, you don't love me."

"I do. I do love you, more than anything." Winston said.

Monty shook his head, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"No, listen to me." Winston grabbed onto Monty's hand and held it with both of his. "I love you, Monty. So much, it hurts. I'd do anything for you."

Monty yanked his hand back, "You shouldn't love me, Winston. You- you can't." Monty rubbed his hands across his face, "This is crazy."

Without even looking at Winston, Monty stood up, "I gotta go."

"Monty..." Winston pleaded as he watched the boy he loved walk away from him.

Winston contemplated following him, but thought it would be better to let Monty have time to think about his feelings. It was obvious he was conflicted and confused.

Winston sighed and held his head in his hands, feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes.

"Hey man!" Diego said excitedly as he sat down next to Winston.

Winston immediately sat up and tried not to look heartbroken, "Hey, what's up?"

"Have you seen Monty?" Diego asked, "I kinda wanted to talk with him before he leaves."

"Yeah, he went that way." Winston pointed to where Monty had gone after their conversation.

Diego went to stand up and head in that direction, but then he saw Winston's face. It looked like he was crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" Diego asked, concerned.

Winston quickly wiped his eyes with his coat sleeve and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just overwhelmed with everything." 

Diego nodded even though he wasn't convinced.

"What about you? Are you okay? Excited for tomorrow at all?" Winston asked, trying to change the subject.

"What's tomorrow?" Diego asked, sitting back down.

"Isn't tomorrow Liberty's prom?" At Winston's words Diego looked surprised.

"Oh shit." Diego swore, "I've been so caught up in all the stuff that's been going on that I completely forgot about prom."

"At least you get a prom. Hillcrest is one of those schools that think dances are unnecessary." Winston told him.

"Then you should come to Liberty's with us! It'll be a hell of a lot more fun with you there." Diego invited him.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm really feeling up to that right now." Winston said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Diego asked.

Winston sighed. He knew he could trust Diego, "I told Monty I love him and he didn't say it back. He just ran away."

Diego frowned, "That's rough. I'm so sorry, man." 

"It's fine." Winston laughed without any humor, "I mean, it's not fine. My heart hurts, but he's just not ready yet."

Diego nodded, "Do you think he'll ever be ready?"

Winston shrugged, "I don't know. But that's the thing, I'll wait for however long it takes him. Because I love him even though he doesn't love me back."

Diego didn't say anything to that and Winston tried to lighten the mood, "Well, I'm gonna go find my mom. After winning a case she usually likes to celebrate with ice cream." 

Diego nodded and pulled Winston into a hug, which Winston happily returned.

"I'm really glad I met you, Winston." Diego said.

Winston grinned, "I'm glad I met you to." 

When they pulled back, they laughed. Winston went to walk away, "Say bye to Estela for me, okay?" 

"I will." Diego said as he waved goodbye to him.

Winston turned around and walked out of the main entrance of the courthouse. Diego immediately sought out to find Estela, who was talking with Charlie by the large staircase.

"Hey," Diego greeted as he approached them, "I need to talk to you guys."

Estela turned her attention to Diego, "What is it?"

Diego took a deep breath, "We have to do something about Winston and Monty."


	22. Part 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty and Mrs. Walker have a conversation, while Diego tells Estela and Charlie why they should do something about Winston and Monty.

Monty hadn't stopped walking. He felt the need to get as far away from Winston as possible. He kept on going until he ended up in a part of the courthouse he didn't recognize. There were shelves of books along the walls and a large table in the middle of the room. It reminded Monty of a library.

Moving forward, he quickly sat down in one of the many chairs by the table and started thinking.

‘Winston can't love me. He just can't.’ He thought to himself.

The more he thought, the more he began to question himself. Why was he so afraid of Winston loving him? Was it because he felt so unfamiliar with the idea of it? Or was it because he knew deep down he loved him too?

Just as soon as Monty thought his head would explode from thinking too much, he heard soft footsteps approaching him and looked up.

His eyes widened, "Mrs. Walker?" 

"Monty." Was all she said as she walked closer and sat down in the chair beside him.

The room was painfully silent. Monty kept waiting for Mrs. Walker to say something, but she didn't. She only stared at the floor, seemingly unbothered by the quiet.

"How are you doing?" Monty asked, not sure what else to say.

Mrs. Walker crossed her legs and pushed her hair behind her ears, "You're the one who just went through a trial and you're asking me how I'm doing?"

Monty shrugged slightly, "I don't know." 

Mrs. Walker sighed, "Then just listen to what I have to say, alright?"

She waited until Monty nodded in agreement, before continuing, "Back when I heard they were closing Bryce's case, I was angry. But not for what you'd think. I was angry because I knew that they convicted the wrong person."

Monty glanced up in surprise, but didn't say anything.

"I wanted so desperately to believe it was you, but I knew in my heart that it wasn't. I just needed peace. So I didn't say anything and I didn't argue when the police told me the case was closed." 

Monty heard her sniffle and realized she was crying. He didn't know what to do in this kind of situation, so he just sat there looking down at his feet, hands clasped in front of him.

"I couldn't begin to express how terrible I feel about all of this. I'm so sorry, I can't imagine what you've been through."

Monty was in shock. How could she be apologizing to him? 

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Mrs. Walker. I'm sorry that I wasn't a better friend to him before..." Monty felt tears roll down his face and realized, much to his horror, he was also crying. He put a hand over his mouth to try and stifle the sounds.

"Monty, please don't apologize. It's not your fault." Mrs. Walker said when she saw him crying.

Monty shook his head. It's all my fault, he thought.

"I'm so sorry." Monty sobbed, not listening. Mrs. Walker shifted her chair and pulled him into her arms, letting Monty cry.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay." Mrs. Walker kept repeating, trying to calm him down.

A few minutes later, Monty pulled away and rubbed his hands down across his face, "Sorry about that." He said, embarrassed.

"What did I say about apologizing?" She reminded him, teasingly.

He chuckled slightly, "Thanks, Mrs. Walker."

She shook her head, "Call me Nora." 

Monty nodded, "Okay, Nora." The name sounded weird to Monty, always having referred to her as the more proper title.

"I know you didn't stick around much after your sentencing, so you wouldn't know this, but Ani is being required to pay a fine of two thousand dollars."

Monty raised his eyebrows, "Wow." He couldn't say that he thought she didn't deserve it. She did try to frame him while everyone thought he was alive.

"I offered to pay it, but she of course refused. I can always count on her to be stubborn." Nora said. Monty only listened, confused as to where she was going with this.

"After a few more minutes of convincing, I eventually got her to agree to it."

"Why are you paying for it?" Monty asked, trying to engage.

Nora smiled, "Because I know she and Bryce had a complicated relationship, but I think she was one of the only people that made him feel like he could've changed." 

Monty nodded and smiled slightly, thinking of the one person who made him feel that same way.

Nora looked at the small smile that grazed Monty's face and smirked, "What about you? You must have someone like that in your life, right?"

At Monty's silence, she continued, "What about that skinny boy with the curly brown hair? Cause he's very cute."

Monty was about to lie, yet couldn't help but laugh. Before he could think about his answer, he replied, "Yeah, he is." 

Monty stomach suddenly dropped when he realized what he'd done. He had left Winston. He'd left him when he told him he loved him. 

Monty lowered his head and held it in his hands, "Fuck." He said, knowing he had messed up the best thing in his life.

When Nora saw him beginning to get upset, she spoke up, "Remember what I said? Everything's going to work out." 

Monty shook his head, "I wouldn't be so sure."

Nora frowned, but stood up. Monty quickly made to follow. When they were both standing, she took hold of his hands, "I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?" Monty asked.

Nora made sure he looked her in the eyes, "Promise me that when you find someone worth holding onto, you'll never let them go."

Monty went silent for a moment and looked down at the floor. He was clearly thinking about something, before he looked back up at her. 

"I promise." 

Meanwhile, back in the main hall, Diego approached Charlie and Estela.

"What do you mean we have to do something about Winston and Monty?" Charlie asked.

"It's obvious they care about each other, but Monty's too scared to admit it." Diego told them.

"I mean, can you blame him?" Estela asked. "Our dad told us almost everyday that being gay is wrong. When Monty was fourteen and I was twelve, my dad chased after him with a smashed beer bottle because he heard rumors around town." 

Diego and Charlie stayed quiet and Estela thought she might have sounded too harsh, "I just don't want to rush him, you know? With everything he's already been through, he deserves to finally feel safe."

"Exactly! He deserves to feel safe and happy. But I don't think he can be either of those without Winston." Diego said.

Estela sighed, "You're right, but I think we just need to wait for Monty to be ready on his own."

"If Winston actually cares about Monty then he'll wait for him, right?" Charlie spoke up.

Diego shook his head, "Winston does care about Monty. I know he does, but it's not him I'm worried about. I'm worried that Monty might never get to a point where he's okay with being who he is."

"Even though you're dad is gonna be locked up for a long time, I think Monty still has that mindset that being gay is wrong." Diego continued.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Charlie asked.

"Prom is tomorrow." Diego stated

Charlie gaped, "Oh my god, it is?"

"Liberty is still having prom at a time like this? Estela asked.

Diego nodded, "Yeah, apparently to draw attention away from all this."

Estela scoffed, "Typical. Of course they'd hold it on a day when my brother has his first meeting and can't go."

Diego smirked, "That's why I have a plan."


	23. Part 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego, Estela, and Charlie try to convince Winston and Monty to go to prom.

"A plan?" Charlie asked, tilting his head to the side.

Estela rolled her eyes, "Oh boy, here we go." 

"Hey, don't give me that! It's gonna work, alright?" Diego defended himself.

"Okay okay, calm down. What's your plan?" Estela asked.

Diego looked around the hallway, trying to see if there was anyone else around who might hear them.

He turned back to Charlie and Estela, "We're going to make sure Winston and Monty go to prom together."

Estela immediately held her hand up, "Wait, that's not even possible. Monty has his first meeting tomorrow night."

"I know, but I was thinking maybe we could convince Judge Campbell to move the meeting." Diego told her.

"You really think we'd be able to talk an actual judge into letting Monty go to a school dance?" Charlie asked.

"We don't need to say where he's going." Diego said.

"Well, we probably will have to give some kind of reason as to why Monty needs the day of the meeting to be switched." Estela said.

Diego rubbed his hand across his face, "Okay, well maybe we could... um..." 

He frowned, "I don't know. I kind of came up with this plan like two minutes ago, just forget about it, okay?" He turned to walk away.

Estela suddenly thought of something, "Wait! Don't go yet, I think we might actually be able to pull this off."

Charlie quirked an eyebrow, "Why do you say that?"

"If anyone would be able to convince Judge Campbell to do this, it would be someone from Monty's family." Estela pointed out.

"So, that would be you?" Diego grinned, happy that their plan was forming.

"Yeah." She said, "I think he's still in the courtroom. We should be able to talk to him if we hurry."

"Let's go then." Diego said, already beginning to move.

The three of them made it to the courtroom doors just in time to see Judge Campbell walk out.

"Judge Campbell!" Estela called.

He turned his head to see who had said his name, "Oh, hello there. You're Estela, correct?"

Estela smiled, not expecting him to be this friendly, "Yes, that's me." She looked back at Charlie and Diego. They both motioned for her to keep going.

"Uh, I was wondering if I could talk to you. Or if maybe we all could." She gestured to the boys behind her.

Judge Campbell looked unsure, "Maybe another time. I really should get going."

"It'll only take a minute." Estela told him.

She saw him hesitate, "Please?"

Judge Campbell sighed, "Alright. What can I do for you?"

"Well... about Monty, my brother's, anger management meetings. He has one tomorrow night and I was hoping we'd be able to switch it to another day."

"Why would you need the meeting's date changed?" Judge Campbell asked.

Estela thought for a second, "Monty told me that he wishes he had some more time to spend at the house. He hasn't been home in a while and he was hoping he could relax for a little bit."

Judge Campbell considered this, "Can you tell me why Montgomery wasn't able to ask this himself?"

Diego stepped forward, "He didn't stick around long after the end of the trial. Told us all he wanted to spend as much time at home as he could."

Estela turned to smile at him, thankful that he was able to come up with an excuse so quickly.

"You know, I really need a parent or guardian here to ask for something like this." Judge Campbell said.

Estela looked him in the eyes, "Our mom has been crying all week in anticipation for the trial. She's been through so much, thinking her child was dead, an abusive marriage. And you saw what our dad is like. I don't think either of them are in any position to be here right now."

Judge Campbell took a deep breath, "Okay, just let me think for a moment." 

Diego, Estela, and Charlie looked at each other, knowing they were so close to getting what they needed.

Judge Campbell turned back to them, "One day. I'll make some arrangements and have the meeting moved to Saturday, so he'll be able to have one more day at home to get settled."

The three teenagers all began smiling, "Thank you so much." Estela said.

Judge Campbell nodded and walked out the front doors.

Barely anyone was able to get any sleep that night. Estela, Diego, and Charlie didn't because of nervousness for what their plan required of them the next day. They had talked over what the next steps would be and were all in agreement. They would meet up at the prom and watch as the people they cared about reunited.

When it was almost time for the prom to begin, the three of them were gathered outside Estela and Monty's house.

"Are we all clear on what to do?" Diego asked.

"Yes, Diego." Estela nodded, "We've only gone over it a million times."

Diego sighed, "I just want to be thorough, okay?" 

Estela's expression softened, "I know. It's really sweet how much you care." 

Diego smiled and pulled her in for a hug. As soon as they we're done, Estela got into her car and waved goodbye.

As she drove away, Diego turned towards Charlie, who was shivering more from nervousness than the cold.

"You ready, St. George?" Diego asked him.

Charlie nodded nervously, "Yeah, I think so."

Diego smiled at him reassuringly and began walking toward the door. He knocked three times, before he saw someone approaching through the window.

Monty's mom opened the door and smiled when she saw Diego and Charlie.

"Hello, boys." She greeted.

"Hi Mrs. de la Cruz, is Monty here?" Diego asked.

It was a question they already knew the answer to, but they couldn't look suspicious.

She looked uncomfortable being called 'Mrs. de la Cruz' but she didn't say anything about it.

She nodded, "Yes, he's in his room if you wanted to visit with him."

Charlie and Diego smiled appreciatively and walked inside when she held the door open for them.

She put her hand on Charlie's shoulder before they got to far, "Just wanted to warn you, he's not in that good of a mood." Her voice was full of concern.

"We'll be careful." Charlie assured her.

She nodded and went back into the living room.

Charlie and Diego continued walking until they got to Monty's room. Diego knocked on the door a few times, so he wouldn't be startled when they came in.

"Hey." He said as he pushed open the door.

Monty was laying back on his bed, scrolling through his phone. He looked up, surprised when he heard Diego's voice.

"What are you guys doing here?" Monty asked, putting his phone down.

"Just came to check on you, see how you're doing." Diego said as he walked further into the room, letting Charlie come in as well.

Monty shrugged, "I'm fine, I guess. You know, considering." 

Charlie nodded, "Are you planning on doing anything tonight?"

Monty shook his head, "No. I was supposed to have my first meeting or whatever tonight, but someone from the police station called last night and said they had to move the date to tomorrow."

"Oh weird." Diego said, trying to sound confused, "I wonder why."

"No idea. But at least now I get one more day to just relax after everything." Monty said, leaning back onto his bed further.

Charlie and Diego looked at each other, feeling guilty for a second.

"So, prom's tonight." Charlie tried to bring up casually.

"Shit, really?" Monty asked. When they nodded, he frowned, "Call me stupid, but I kind of always thought about going when I was younger."

Diego grinned, "You still can. It's not over for another few hours."

Monty shook his head, "No, I don't think so, man. Plus if people saw me there, all they'd do is stare. I just want one more day where I can pretend to be normal."

"You are normal." Diego said.

Monty scoffed, "I'm not, I'm fucking disgusting."

Diego rolled his eyes, "Come on, this isn't what I think it's about is it? You don't have to worry anymore! Your dad is in prison!"

"Fuck you! You have no idea what I'm going through." Monty told him.

"Maybe he doesn't, but I do." Charlie spoke up.

Monty laughed, "Oh, this should be good. You? You're life has been nothing but perfect. Nothing bad has ever happened to you and you have the audacity to tell me you get what I'm going through?"

"You know what, Monty? That's your issue. You think you're the only one who's got problems, because you're too fucking selfish to listen to anybody else!"

"Charlie-" Diego tried to say in a warning tone.

"I'm not done! You think my life is perfect? Is my mom dying of cancer perfect too? What about the guy I love being in prison for eight fucking years?" 

He took a breath, "Oh yeah, I'm bi too. But you didn't know that, because you would never listen to me and you made me think it was wrong! And even after all of that, I didn't go along with Ani's plan to frame you, because I felt bad for you and I still wanted to be there for you."

Charlie was speaking so loud, Diego was wondering if Monty's mom could hear it at the opposite end of the house.

"You have people who accept you and care about you! Your mom, Diego, Estela, me, Winston! But no, it's always poor Monty who has no one. At least the guy you're in love with isn't in prison."

Monty looked up at him, eyes wide, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Give it up, Monty! Why do you still think people will care? You have a chance right now to be happy. Do you get that? The one thing you thought you'd never be able to feel and you're giving it up for what? So you can give your dad exactly what he wanted? For you to be ashamed of yourself?"

The room was silent, neither Diego or Monty had ever heard Charlie yell or talk that much.

"I just... I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Monty almost whispered.

"Go tell him you love him." Charlie said in a stern voice.

"I-I can't." Monty said as tears fell down his face.

Charlie sighed and turned to walk out of the room. Once he was gone, Diego looked at Monty. He'd never seen him look so defeated. 

"When you come to your senses and realize you could be so much happier if you let yourself, we'll be waiting at prom. It ends at midnight." Diego said and walked out after Charlie.

Diego found him waiting outside and shoved him in the shoulder, "What the hell, dude? That wasn't the plan."

"I know. I'm sorry, I just got mad." Charlie apologized.

Diego shook his head as he pulled out his phone and typed out a message to Estela.

By the time Diego and Charlie left Monty's house, Estela had just arrived at Winston's. 

"Holy shit." She said under her breath as she made her way up to the front door.

Estela walked up several stairs to get to a grand entrance and rang the doorbell. While she waited, she looked around. It was without a doubt, one of the nicest houses, or should she say mansions, she'd ever seen. It had three stories, a pool, and a water fountain in the middle of an elegant driveway.

Estela heard footsteps approaching and Winston opened the door.

"Estela? What are you doing here?" He looked down at his gold watch, "Shouldn't you be at prom by now? Or did you decide not to go because of Monty's meeting." Winston looked sad when he mentioned Monty.

"Oh, I'm still going." She walked past him into the house.

"Come in, why don't you?" He said sarcastically as he closed the door and followed her inside.

"If you're still going, then why are you here?" Winston asked when he found her standing in the middle of his living room.

"I came to get you. You're pretty fashionable, I'm sure you have a suit lying around here somewhere, go put it on." Estela told him.

Winston almost laughed, "Are you kidding me? I'm not going. That would just be sad."

"Okay." Estela said, then flopped down dramatically onto his couch.

"What are you doing? You're gonna miss the dance." Winston tried to remind her.

Estela shook her head, "Nope. I'm not going if you're not."

Winston gave her an irritated look, "Really? You're going to guilt me into going?"

Estela shrugged, "I wouldn't have to if you just came with me." 

"I wouldn't know anybody there." Winston reasoned.

"That's not true. You know me. Diego and Charlie will be there too."

"Oh cool. Three people." Winston shook his head. "I don't understand how you and Charlie are even able to go. Isn't this senior prom? You're both sophomores."

"Anybody can go." Estela told him.

"That makes no sense." Winston said.

"Whatever, okay?" Estela said, "Why don't you want to go?"

"Well, for one, I don't go to Liberty. And two..." He paused, looking down at the ground.

"What is it?" Estela prodded.

Winston looked up, "The one person I want to be there with doesn't want anything to do with me."

Estela frowned, "You don't know that-"

"Yes I do. And trust me, Monty hates me." Winston said, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"He doesn't." Estela said, standing up and walking over to him. "He could never hate you."

Winston shook his head, "I really appreciate you trying to come here and make me feel better, but I just feel like wallowing in sadness right now."

Estela shook her head, "I think you just need a distraction. What better distraction is there than a dance?"

"I don't know, Estela." Winston said.

"How about this? If we get there and you still feel sad, then we'll leave." 

Winston huffed in annoyance, "Why do you have to be so stubborn? Do you always just wear people down until they say yes?"

Estela smirked, "I'm not hearing a 'no'. Does that mean you'll go?" 

Winston tried his best to still look annoyed, but there was a hint of a smile behind it, "Fine."

Estela's face broke out into a smile, "Yay! Let's go find you something to wear." She said excitedly as she ran in the direction of Winston's room.

Estela was so happy that she able to convince him, that she didn't even feel her phone when it vibrated in her pocket.

We might have a problem -Diego


	24. Part 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Estela, Charlie, and Diego’s plan begins to fall apart when they arrive at prom.

"Oh god." Winston said as he and Estela walked into the building. "I already hate it."

Estela chuckled, "What are you talking about? We just got here, give it a minute."

Winston shuddered, "I told you I'd give it a chance, but this is just depressing."

"What do you mean? People are dancing and having fun. It's the exact opposite of depressing." Estela said as she pointed to everyone in the middle of the room.

"Them being happy just reminds me of how upset I am." Winston said.

Estela sighed, "Wow. You really are depressed." She tried to say in a joking tone, but Winston just nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna go see what this place has to drink." Winston told her, then began walking away in the direction of the 'bar'.

Estela watched him leave, until she heard people approach her. She turned around and there stood Diego with Charlie at his side.

"Hey." She greeted, then looked behind them, "Where's Monty?"

Diego looked confused, "You didn't get my text?"

"No. What text?" She asked, reaching for her phone.

"Uh oh." Charlie said as Estela saw the message she hadn't read yet.

"What does 'we might have a problem' mean?" She looked back up at Diego and Charlie who were looking at each other with concern.

"Is it anything that's going to affect the plan?" She wondered. "Cause if so, we should probably fix this before Winston gets back."

"Wait. Winston's here?" Diego asked in a panicked voice, his eyes frantically searching the room.

"Yes?" Estela confirmed questioningly. "That was the plan, right? Get them both here."

Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yeah, that was the plan, but we may not have exactly done our part."

It was Estela's turn to look panicked, "What do you mean? Is Monty not here?"

Diego shook his head, "We tried convincing him! I've never even heard Charlie talk that much, but I don't think it worked."

"Fuck. What are we gonna do?" Estela asked both of them.

"Well, you didn't tell Winston about the plan, did you?" Charlie asked.

"Of course not." Estela said.

Charlie nodded, "Okay, good."

"How is any of this good?" Diego asked.

"Because, we can just pretend that this was the plan. We have a fun night with Winston and just try to cheer him up. He'll never know." Charlie suggested.

Estela shrugged, "That seems like our best bet right now."

Diego let out an exasperated sigh, "This isn't how tonight was supposed to go."

"I know, but-" Estela was about to say when Winston reappeared, holding a cup of what looked like sparkling cider.

"Hey guys." Winston waved at them with his free hand.

"Hey!" They all said in unison, way too enthusiastically.

Winston looked at them questioningly, but didn't say anything about it, "So what's up?"

"Nothing!" Diego spoke up. "Just super excited to spend tonight with my best friend." He poked Winston in the shoulder.

Winston squinted his eyes, "I'm your best friend?"

"Hell yeah. We've basically been to hell and back together, we're brothers for life." Diego threw an arm around his shoulder and lead him to the dance floor.

Charlie and Estela watched them go. Diego was trying his hardest to get Winston to smile by doing ridiculous dance moves. Winston let out a particularly loud laugh when Diego did a boyband twirl.

"He still might show up." Charlie spoke from beside her.

Estela looked at up at him, then looked back at Diego and Winston who were now beckoning them to join in. 

Charlie and Estela looked at each other again, before smiling and all but running toward them.

Almost the entire paranoid group was there, dancing along to whatever song played. People were dancing and laughing, acting like nothing traumatic had happened in the last few days. 

If they were being honest, it felt good. It felt amazing to feel like they were kids again. Not caring about whatever would happen tomorrow or the next day, but living in the moment.

Winston tried to have a good time and push the sad thoughts to the back of his head, but just couldn't. He wanted desperately to have fun for Estela's sake, but he couldn't help feeling like he was putting up a front. Pretending he was okay, when he felt like dying.

The music came to a stop after a while and everyone looked toward the stage where Jessica was standing in front of a microphone, holding an envelope in her hands.

"All right, Liberty High. The votes are in. It's time to announce your prom king and queen!" 

Winston groaned internally. He was going to have watch a happy couple dance in front of everyone.

"The votes were tabulated by one of our chaperones. I'm not sure who, but at least we know that it's secure." 

Most everyone cheered at that and Jessica tore open the envelope, taking a piece of paper out of it and reading it once. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head and she'd never looked more confused.

"Holy shit." She said under her breath.

Jessica shook her head, "Um, I don't really know how this is possible, but your prom king and queen are- or I guess king and king. I don't know, it's whatever they prefer."

Everyone waited in anticipation as she rambled.

"Montgomery de la Cruz and Winston Williams." She announced, sounding confused and a tiny bit annoyed as she read it.

Gasps filled the room as people began looking around and muttering amongst themselves.

"Oh shit." Diego swore. 

Winston's face went pale as he looked over at Diego in a panic, "What the hell is going on?!"

"I completely forgot we did that." Charlie said, eyes wide.

"What did you do?!" Winston tried to ignore the stares that were coming his way.

Diego let out a fake laugh, "Okay, funny story, we rigged the voting so that you and Monty would win and have this epic moment together-"

"Oh my god!" Winston whisper yelled. "What were you thinking?!" 

"It was his idea!" Diego accused, pointing a finger at Charlie.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Charlie got ready to defend himself.

"Guys! What the fuck?" Estela interrupted. "Now is not the time! Do you have any idea how stupid you two are? How humiliating this must be for Winston?" 

Winston was looking at them, clearly hurt and confused and unsure of what to do.

Diego sighed, "Here, I'll go with you."

"No! I'm not going up there." Winston immediately refused.

"It'll be fine, we'll get crowned and dance, then leave. Problem solved." Diego told him.

"Not problem solved, Diego!" Winston couldn't believe this was happening.

Diego shook his head, "Listen, I'm sorry, okay? But the more we stand here, the awkwarder it gets. Let's just get it over with." He then grabbed Winston's hand and began walking toward the stage.

"This is insane, I don't even go here." Winston held his head low in embarrassment and didn't dare look up at anyone.

Jessica grimaced when she saw them coming up. Diego smiled and tried to act as confident as he could, but no one could ignore how uncomfortable of a situation this was.

Jessica was about to go and retrieve the crowns, but paused when she heard loud footsteps echoing throughout the building. It sounded as if someone was running toward the room.

Whoever it was got closer and closer, until someone finally appeared in the doorway.

"Wait!" The person said from the doors. Everyone turned to look and see who the call came from.

Winston gasped when he saw Monty standing there, dressed in a grey suit with a black bow tie.

Monty looked scared out of his mind. The crowd parted, giving him the space to walk up to the stage. His eyes were locked onto Winston's as he began walking to him. 

When he climbed up on the stage, he didn't dare look at anyone else besides Winston.

"You're here." Winston said, breathlessly, when Monty stood in front of him.

"Yeah, I am." Monty said like he couldn't believe it either.

Diego backed away from them, smiling from ear to ear. Estela was holding onto Charlie's arm, while Charlie's mouth was completely agape in shock.

On the stage, Winston and Monty were still looking at each other, seemingly unaware of whatever else was going on in the room. 

Jessica reappeared with both crowns and held one in each hand, "Which one of you wants the crown and which one of you wants the tiara?"

Her voice pulled Winston out of his stupor and he looked over at her, unsure of what to say. Monty, however, hadn't stopped staring at Winston. 

Winston saw Monty's hesitance and decided to speak up instead, "Um, I guess I'll take the little one." 

Jessica placed the small tiara on top of Winston's wavy hair and he reached up to make sure it was steady.

Monty's eyes finally tore themselves away from Winston long enough to see Jessica approach him with the bigger crown. It fit on top of his head perfectly, but felt heavy. 

Monty finally took a look at the crowd, who were stunned into silence. He didn't think anyone would make a single sound, but that's when he heard cheering come from somewhere in the sea of students.

Estela was clapping wildly as Charlie cupped his hands around his mouth and began cheering. At first, they were the only ones, but then there was distant applause coming from the back. 

Tyler was clapping for him. It was quiet a little unsteady sounding, but it looked like he knew what he was doing. Justin joined in after a second, a small smile on his face. Zach, who was standing next to him gave a loud whistle. Diego, still standing on the stage, began cheering, clearly happy with this turn of events.

Soon, everyone was clapping for them. It started off hesitant and slow, but by the end, most everyone was cheering.

As Monty looked at all of them, he felt his eyes begin to water. He tried convincing himself that he wasn't about to cry in front of the entire school, but couldn't stop a tear that fell. It was obvious that he was overwhelmed and overcome with the feeling of acceptance and something else that he'd always had a hard time dealing with.

He looked over at Winston, who returned his gaze. Love. That's what's he was feeling. But it wasn't the complicated and hard to deal with type of love he was used too. It was the simple and wonderful kind that made him feel like he could be whatever he wanted to be.

The DJ held up his microphone, "Alright, King Montgomery, King Winston. It's time for your first dance as Liberty High School royalty!" 

He pushed a button on whatever machine he used and the beginning chords of a slow song began to fill the room.

I got the good side of things

Left you with both of the rings

My fingers danced and swayed in the breeze

The change in the wind took you down to your knees

They made their was down the steps and walked toward the middle of the dance floor. Everyone formed a circle around them as they looked at each other. 

Monty held his hand out to Winston, a smile beginning to form on his face. Winston smiled back and grabbed onto it without hesitation.

Monty's hand found Winston's waist as Winston placed his hand on Monty's shoulder. Their other hands coming together to hold each other's. Monty moved closer to him so he could say something only Winston could hear.

"I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you." 

Winston smiled, "Don't you mean if it weren't for Deputy Standall you wouldn't be alive?"

Monty rolled his eyes playfully, "Don't bring him up right now."

They both laughed quietly.

"I'm sorry I left you." Monty said after a moment.

"It's oka-"

"No, it's not." Monty interrupted, "I hurt you. I don't ever want to do that."

"Hey, it's okay." Winston took his hand from Monty's grip and placed it on the side of his face, "You're here now. That's all that matters to me."

Monty shook his head, "I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that." Winston said immediately, "You deserve so much Monty."

Monty went silent after that. Not wanting his emotions to get the best of him, he pulled Winston closer and hugged him tightly while they danced.

"I've always wanted to do this." Monty told him after a minute, "Dance with you."

Winston pulled back from the hug to look him in the eyes, "Me too." 

Winston knew saying this right now could very well ruin everything, but it was how he felt and he was done hiding it, "I love you."

"I know." Monty paused, then after a second, "I love you too."

"You do?" Winston asked, surprised.

Monty nodded, "I always have. I was just scared, but I'm not afraid anymore. My dad's gone, my family loves me and most importantly, I have you."

Winston grinned, "You'll always have me." 

They leaned their foreheads together and let their lips meet. They heard a few 'awe's from around the crowd. When they pulled away, Monty placed both his hands on either side of Winston's face. 

"Good." He said.

Winston couldn't have smiled wider as he surged forward again, kissing Monty hard. They continued until they heard 'whoops' and a few whistles coming from people. 

Another song began playing. This time, a more upbeat one that you couldn't exactly slow dance to.

And even as people from the crowd began to come onto the dance floor with them, they pretended the slow song was still on, holding onto each other as they continued to dance.


	25. Part 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was going through Monty’s head during the night of the prom?

Monty hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. He'd never heard Charlie say that much, let alone  yell at him. It felt completely wrong to have that sweet adorable golden retriever turn into a total rabid dog before his eyes.

"Fuck..." Monty mumbled to himself, holding his head in his hands.

Monty didn't want to admit it, but he knew deep down that Charlie was right. Maybe that's what hurt him the most right now. That his mind wasn't ready to accept what his heart already knew.

Monty lost track of how many minutes he sat still, staring at the ground. Different images of the past flowing through his mind.

_ "Where's the fuckin' bathroom?" He asked to no one in particular, pushing open a random door. _

_ "Not the bathroom, friend." A beautiful boy said from his spot on the floor. _

Monty let himself smile. Meeting Winston was one of the best things to ever happen to him.

Another image came to him.

_ "Hey, it was nice meeting you. We should hang out sometime." It was him. The guy from the room who had blew him no less than an hour ago. _

_ "What'd you say to me, faggot?" Monty asked before he could stop himself. _

_ "Dude, chill. Alright?" The guy held his hands up, trying to calm Monty down. _

Monty flinched as he remembered what happened next. He had hit Winston. He had completely beat the shit out of him. God, just the thought of causing him any pain made Monty want to cry.

He closed his eyes as another flashback began.

_ "Good hit, Monty." Bryce spat out. _

_ "Keep coming Walker, keep coming!" Monty told him. _

_ "You think you're gonna scare me?" Bryce taunted. _

_ "Oh, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you." Monty assured him. _

_ "Okay, buddy." Bryce walked away with a smirk. _

_ Monty looked down, then back up. There was someone taking pictures from the sidelines. It was him. The boy from the party. What the fuck is he doing here? And what gives him the right to look like that? _

Monty remembered how angry he felt at that moment, not knowing that it would later become one of the best nights of his life. Monty sighed, then thought of what else happened.

_ Monty looked away from the retreating Hillcrest bus, "The fuck are you doing here?" He asked when he saw the boy from the party leaning against his car. _

_ The boy looked up, then back down to his camera, "Yearbook. I-I'm in yearbook. I'm going." He stuttered out, while reaching in his pocket for his car keys. _

_ 'Shit, he's scared. He's scared of me.' Monty thought to himself. “Hey, hey, I ain't gonna do anything." Monty told him. _

_ The boy nodded, "I gotta go." _

_ Monty took a step toward him, "Listen man, I'm sorry about last Summer. I was drunk and really fucked up." _

_ "It's fine." The boy smiled slightly, "I mean, whatever." _

_ Monty moved forward once more, "You seem like a good guy." _

_ The boy didn't say anything for a moment. He just stared at Monty's face, like he was trying to understand what was going through his head. _

_ Finally he licked his lips and said, "Um, do you want... My parents are gone all weekend, if you wanna hang out." _

_ Monty raised his eyebrows in surprise, then found himself nodding before he could even think about it. _

Monty shook his head as he remembered the car ride to Winston's house. How awkward, yet strangely turned on he felt. The car ride was just the beginning of that unforgettable night.

_ "Holy shit!" Monty gasped out as he fell onto the bed next to Winston. _

_ Winston turned around and laid next to him, "You gonna beat the shit out of me now?" He asked. _

_ Monty rolled his eyes, "I said I was sorry." _

_ Winston took a few breaths, clearly still worked up from what they'd just done, "I know. I was just making a joke." He sat up and looked at Monty. _

_ "I can give you a ride somewhere if you don't want to Uber." Winston offered. _

_ Monty frowned, "You trying to kick me out?" _

_ Winston smiled as he shook his head, "No, I just figured you'd want to go." _

_ Monty stared at him for a moment, then grinned as he turned to lay on his side, "Well maybe, I wanna stay and do that again." _

_ Winston chuckled, "Yeah? Okay." _

_ Monty kept looking at him, until a voice in the back of his head reminded him of something, "I'm not fucking gay." _

_ Winston's expression faltered, before he nodded, "Okay, cool. You can be whatever you wanna be." _

_ Monty frowned, feeling tears pool in his eyes, "No, I can't." _

_ "You can when you're with me." Winston told him. _

Monty opened his eyes with a gasp. He didn't know how long he'd been thinking about the important parts of his past, but he did know one thing.

"I love him.  Fuck . I'm in love with him." Monty realized.

Monty dove to the other side of the bed to grab his phone and looked at the time: 11:14.  Shit.  He knew he needed to hurry. He ran over to his closet and threw it open, riffling through all his clothes.

"For fuck's sake, why do I have so many flannels?" Monty exclaimed as he tried to find something.

"Monty?" A soft voice said from his doorway.

Monty immediately recognized the voice as his mother's, "Hey, mom." He didn't stop looking through his closet.

"What are you doing?" His mom asked.

Monty sighed, "It's stupid. Forget it." He backed away from the clothes and flopped onto his bed.

His mom gave him a look, "You're trying to find something to wear to the prom tonight aren't you?"

Monty's head shot up, "How do you even know about that?"

She laughed, "Do you think I didn't hear your friend's little outburst? This isn't a very big house, I can practically hear everything."

Monty shook his head, "I-I don't know. Don't worry about it. Everything's fine."

"Monty, what did I tell you?" She asked, taking a seat next to him on the bed, "I told you that I love you and that I love who you are. You don't have to hide anything from me."

Monty's vision blurred as tears began to fill in his eyes, "Mom, I... I'm-I'm gay." He'd never said it out loud before. Even though he was terrified, he immediately felt relieved.

His mom smiled, "I know. It's okay."

Monty nodded and forcefully wiped away the tears beginning to form, "Okay." He said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Monty collecting himself while his mom comfortingly rubbed his back.

"So, did you want to go to prom?" His mom brought up again.

Monty shook his head, "I don't think I can. Just, I can't..."

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, Monty. Hell, I just got you back, I'm kind of reluctant to even let you leave the house." She said, honestly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Monty told her.

"Okay." His mom said, understanding that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

Monty nodded, "Sure."

"What made you want to go in the first place?" Then after a moment, "Is it that boy? Your lawyer's son?"

Monty sighed, "I... yes."

"I don't know what to do." Monty admitted with a broken voice.

His mom cupped his face and looked him in the eyes, "Be who you are. Be proud."

His mother's words reminded him of what Mrs. Walker had told him. And in that moment, he'd never felt more determined.

"I'm going. I'm going to prom." Monty stated as he stood up quickly, rushing back to his closet.

"Monty, do you really think you have a suit in there? In that endless wall of flannels?" His mom asked, jokingly.

Monty turned around, "You bought me these flannels!"

They looked at each other for a second before cracking up. They laughed, seemingly forgetting what they had just talked about a minute ago.

"So, I have nothing to wear?" Monty asked, but it sounded more like a realization than a question.

His mom shook her head, "There has to be something, come on."

She walked out into the hallway and then into her own bedroom, Monty following close behind. She went to the right side of the room and opened a black closet.

Monty's eyes widened when he saw a grey suit with a black bow tie hanging on the closet door. A note was attached to the inside of the suit jacket. He took the small piece of paper and turned it over.

** For when you come to your senses. -love Estela **

"Wow." Monty said under his breath.

His mom took it out of the closet and then off its hangers. She held it up to Monty, "It's the right size."

"She must've rented it for me. How'd she know?" Monty wondered.

"Your sister is smart, that's for sure." She said as she handed the suit to Monty, "Go put it on."

He smiled, then pulled her in for a hug before leaving to get dressed.

Monty was pretty sure that he'd broken almost every road safety law as he sped to the location of the prom. He looked at his phone to check the time. 11:27. He still had time. Monty could see the flashing lights from the building. He was so close.

Not caring where he parked, he pulled into a random spot toward the front of the building and left his keys in the ignition. He opened the car door and almost toppled out from how much he was shaking and how quickly he was moving.

He ran as fast as he could. He was a football player, which meant that he was used to running, but right now, this felt more important than any game he'd ever played.

As he pushed open the front doors, he didn't stop to apologize to a couple he bumped into on the way inside. He just kept running.

He knew he was close to the main room because he could hear Jessica speaking into a microphone. He knew she was announcing the prom king and queen, but he tuned her out as he tried to find his way.

After a moment, he realized that if he listened to her voice, he might be able to follow it.

Jessica's muffled voice came through, "I guess it's whatever they prefer. Montgomery de la Cruz and Winston Williams."

"What the fuck?" Monty said to himself, stopping in his tracks.

Was this some kind of joke? Did some cruel person stuff the ballot box? Winston doesn't even go to Liberty.

Winston.  The thought of him being alone in there, humiliated and confused, hurt Monty more than he could express.

He took off running again and finally found the right room, "Wait!" He yelled out.

Every pair of eyes in the room looked back at him, but not for a second did Monty think about turning around, because there he was. Winston was standing on the stage, mouth agape and eyes wide in surprise.

He took a step forward and watched as the crowd parted for him. He continued walking, not looking away from Winston once. He made his way up to the stage, the sound of his footsteps on the stairs filling up the silence of the room.

When he finally reached the center of the stage, Winston said, “You’re here.”

“Yeah, I am.” Monty replied, still having a hard time believing how he had the strength to do it.

A small smile graced Winston’s face as Jessica came back, a crown in each hand, “Which one of you wants the crown and which one of you wants the tiara?”

Monty ignored her, he just kept looking at Winston, unable to comprehend how someone could be so beautiful.

Winston’s voice called him out of his stupor, “Um, I guess I’ll take the little one.”

Jessica placed the tiara on top of Winston’s perfect hair. Then she came over to Monty and put the heavy crown on his head.

After a moment, Monty finally took a look at the crowd, who looked like they were stunned into silence. He didn’t think anyone would make a single sound, but that’s when he heard cheering come from somewhere in the sea of students.

Estela was next to Charlie, both of them cheering loudly, not caring what anyone else thought. At first, Monty thought they would be the only ones to cheer, but then the unimaginable happened.

Distant clapping could be heard from the back. Tyler. He was clapping for him. It was quiet and unsteady, but it seemed like he knew what he was doing. Justin joined in after a moment, a small smile etched on his face. Zach gave a loud whistle and Diego, who Monty hadn’t even realized was on the stage, was cheering with a wide smile.Soon everyone was cheering for them. For him and Winston. As Monty looked at all of them, he felt his eyes begin to water for what was third time that night. He was overwhelmed with the way things had turned out.

He looked over at Winston.  _He so pretty_ ,  Monty thought,  _I’m so in love with him_.

The DJ announced something that Monty didn’t care to listen to. He understood what was going on though when he heard a slow song begin to play.

He stared at Winston as they made their way down the steps and walked to the middle of the dance floor. Monty held out his hand and Winston smiled, grabbing onto it. One of Monty’s hands found Winston’s waist and the other held Winston’s hand.

Monty moved closer, so he could say something to him over the music, “I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”

Winston smiled, “Don’t you mean if it weren’t for Deputy Standall you wouldn’t be alive?”

Monty had to stop himself from laughing, “Dont bring him up right now.” They laughed.

Monty couldn’t help the guilty feeling in his chest, “I’m sorry I left you.” 

“It’s oka-“ Winston tried to say, but Monty wouldn’t have it.

“No, it’s not.” Monty interrupted, “I hurt you. I don’t ever want to do that.”

Winston placed his other hand on Monty’s face, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re here now. That’s all that matters to me.”

Monty shook his head, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Don’t say that.” Winston disagreed, “You deserve so much, Monty.”

Monty didn’t say anything. He just pulled Winston in by his shoulders and hugged him tightly, while they continued to sway to the music.

A minute had gone by when Monty said something, “I’ve always wanted to do this. Dance with you.”

Winston pulled away so he could look at Monty, “Me too.” He replied, then after a moment, “I love you.”

“I know.” Monty said, his heart beating fast, “I love you too.” He finally told him.

“You do?” Winston asked him. It hurt Monty to see how surprised Winston was.

Monty nodded, “I always have. I was just scared.” He smiled, “But I’m not afraid anymore. My dad’s gone, my family loves me, and most importantly, I have you.”

Winston tearfully smiled, “You’ll always have me.”

Monty couldn’t have been happier with that news. He leaned forward to press their foreheads together and let their lips meet. He ignored everyone else in the room and just focused on Winston.

When they pulled away, Monty smiled as he cupped Winston’s face between his hands, “Good.”

Monty wished he could’ve taken a picture of Winston’s smile when he said that. He threw himself into Monty’s arms and kissed him again.

And in that moment, Monty was the happiest he’d ever been.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this final chapter, Monty and Winston help each other express their feelings even more.

By the time the song came to an end, most everyone had joined Winston and Monty on the dance floor. The music had changed to a much more upbeat song, one that wasn't really able to be slow danced to. 

Winston figured that when the song ended Monty would pull away, but he didn't. He stayed exactly where he was, still swaying to the beat of the slow song.

Winston smiled against Monty's neck, "Monty?"

Monty didn't say anything, he just held onto Winston tighter. Winston tried playfully shoving him off, but Monty was strong and unwilling to ease up on his grip.

Winston almost laughed, "Monty, you have to let go."

Monty fiercely shook his head, "No, I'm never letting you go."

Winston grinned at Monty's words. He tilted his head away from where it was rested on Monty's neck and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." He told him.

"I know, it's just..." Monty paused, "I-I love you. I love you so fucking much and I don't want to lose the best part of my life."

Winston smiled sadly, "You'll never lose me."

Monty looked away as tears began to fill his eyes, but Winston put his hands on the sides of Monty's face and forced him to look back at him, "Hey, you won't. I'll be here. Always."

"Always?" Monty asked.

Winston nodded, "Yeah, always."

Monty pulled him back in for a hug, "Okay."

Winston hugged him back just as tightly. The hug was filled with emotion; Monty wrapping his strong arms around Winston's waist, while Winston threw his arms over Monty's broad shoulders and leaned his head against one of them.

This time when Winston pulled back, Monty eased up on his grip and allowed them to separate.

Winston looked around the room, "You wanna go find the others?"

Monty nodded and Winston reached down to grab Monty's hand. Monty immediately looked down at their intertwined fingers, being reminded of the drive in the car to the police station. The anxiety Monty felt that entire car ride, the thought of not being able to see Winston again or hold him or-

"Hey?" A voice broke him out of his thoughts, "Is this okay?"

Monty looked up into Winston's warm brown eyes, "Yeah. More than okay."

Winston smiled and began walking to where he spotted Estela, Diego, and Charlie. The three of them seemed to be immersed in a conversation, but as soon as Diego saw Winston and Monty approaching, the conversation was the last thing on his mind.

"Oh hey! If it isn't our prom kings!" Diego cheered.

Winston blushed as Monty rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand.

Monty laughed, "Come on, dude. This wouldn't have even happened if it weren't for you."

"Why does everyone keep blaming me! It was a group effort-"

"Shut up, Diego." His four friends said collectively, while laughing.

Diego pretended to pout for a few seconds, until Charlie playfully threw an arm around him, which made him start cracking up.

When the laughter died down a bit, Winston went over to Diego and pulled him in for a hug. Diego hugged back even though he was slightly confused.

"What was that for?" He asked when they pulled away.

Winston grinned, "You constantly are coming up with crazy ideas that I'll admit are a little reckless, but you always have good intentions and you really want the best for everyone." Winston shrugged, "Just thank you for being you."

Diego looked stunned at Winston's words. He would deny it later, but the four friends swear they saw his eyes become watery. Smiling widely and going in for another hug, he picked Winston up and twirled him around, only stopping when Winston started hitting him in the arm.

Charlie, Estela, and Monty were all hysterically laughing by the time Diego put Winston down.

"Dude!" Winston shrieked, "This is exactly what I'm talking about with the whole reckless thing, do you know how much money this suit costs?"

"Oh my god, what you just said was so gay." Charlie stated.

Everyone turned to Charlie and gave him a look. 

"What? I'm bi, I can say that." He turned to Winston and Monty, "Right?"

Winston shook his head while grinning and Monty started chuckling. Soon everyone was laughing again, until Estela felt a finger tap her shoulder.

When she turned around, she was met with the face of Tyler looking nervous as ever. 

He shifted on his feet, "Hi, Estela. Uh, I'm Tyler."

Estela chucked slightly, "I know who you are."

Tyler nodded, "Right, obviously, sorry. Well, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to dance with me? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I just-"

"Tyler!" Estela stopped his rambling, "Are you kidding me? Of course I want to dance with you."

Tyler looked surprised, but then relieved and happy. He suddenly looked up at Monty and his nervousness returned.

"Only if it's okay with you." Tyler stated, shifting on his feet.

Monty's eyes widened, surprised with Tyler's need for his approval, "Oh, uh yeah. Go ahead."

Tyler smiled slightly, "Thanks, Monty."

Monty shook his head, "No, thank you, man. For everything you said."

Tyler smiled shyly, "You're welcome." 

Tyler then held out his hand and Estela smiled as she took it. They made their way out onto the dance floor.

"Aww!" Charlie smiled as he watched them begin to awkwardly hop around to the beat of the music.

Diego mimicked crying, "They grow up so fast."

"Shut up, man." Monty laughed, jokingly smacking Diego upside the head.

Diego burst out laughing and went to hit him back, when the sound of a throat being cleared startled them. All four boys turned around and saw the last person they expected to see.

"Evening gentlemen." Deputy Standall greeted as he walked up to them.

"Uh, hi." Monty replied hesitantly.

"Quite an eventful night." Deputy Standall continued. 

"Yeah, you could say that." Winston said, adjusting the tiara on his head.

Charlie pointed to Deputy Standall's plain t-shirt and jeans, "You're not wearing you're police uniform."

Deputy Standall chuckled with barely any humor, "Well, I won't be needing that old thing anymore. Got canned this morning for misconduct."

Diego frowned, "Oh, wow. I'm sorry, Mr. Standall. That's not fair." 

"Yeah, you shouldn't have lost your job over this. I mean, you helped me so much. Might've even saved my life." Monty told him.

Mr. Standall waved the comments off, "Nah, it's for the best. I was looking into retiring anyway."

The group nodded and stood in silence for a few seconds before Winston spoke.

"So, how are you holding up?" He asked in a gentle tone.

Mr. Standall sighed, "Could be better."

"That's understandable." Winston replied.

"I'm looking into options for parole for Alex. He's not too keen on the idea, but I think I can talk him into it."

"That's great!" Charlie exclaimed loudly, causing a few people nearby to look over.

When Mr. Standall gave him a confused look, he was quick to stutter out, "Sorry, I mean, oh that's cool or whatever."

Diego and Monty had to keep themselves from laughing out loud. 

"Right. Well, I'll leave you boys to it. Have a good rest of your prom." Mr. Standall waved goodbye and began walking away.

"Thanks, Deputy- I mean Mr. Standall." Monty called after him.

"Don't mention it, son." Mr. Standall replied without turning around.

Monty smiled slightly as he watched him leave. He then felt a tugging on his arm and looked to see Winston grinning at him.

"Hey." Monty smiled.

"Hi." Winston smiled even wider, "Wanna get out of here?"

"Oh, god." Diego groaned suddenly, "You guys are giving me diabetes."

"What Diego meant to say was that you guys are really sweet." Charlie was quick to swoop in, "And you guys can go."

"Really? Are you sure?" Monty asked apprehensively.

Diego nodded, "Yeah, go. We'll all hang out at Winston's tomorrow cause we know that's where you're ending up tonight." He winked at the end of his sentence.

Diego started doing body rolls as Charlie pretended to grind. Winston hid his face behind his hands and Monty grinned as he shook his head at his friends antics.

"Don't show up before ten, alright?" Monty told them.

"You got it, man." Diego agreed as he pulled his best friend in for a hug, "I love you, dude."

Monty nodded and patted him on the back, "Thanks, man."

He moved over to Charlie and gave him a hug as well, "Thanks for calling me out on my bullshit earlier."

Charlie huffed out a laugh, "Anytime." Then after a second, "Love you, man."

Monty smiled and pulled away. He looked over at the love of his life who was stepping backward toward the exit.

"What are we waiting for?" Winston asked him.

"Nothing." Monty said, "Let's go."

Both of them reached for each other's hand at the same time and began walking toward the double doors.

Monty stalled and Winston was about to ask what was wrong. That is until Monty turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth, "I love you guys!" He yelled to Diego and Charlie over the loud music.

Diego and Charlie couldn't have smiled wider, "We love you more, now get the fuck out!" Diego shouted back.

Winston laughed and grabbed Monty's hand again as they finally left the building.

When the two of them reached Winston's house, they barely made it inside before Monty was pushing Winston against the back of the front door.

Their lips connected as Winston rested his hands on Monty's muscular arms and Monty grabbed either side of Winston's face with his hands.

Monty pulled back, "Shit, your parents aren't home are they?" 

Winston shook his head and that was all Monty needed to dive back in and capture his lips once more.

Tripping as they went, since they were both unwilling to separate for more than a second, they finally were able to make it into Winston's room.

Monty picked Winston up and lifted him up onto his desk. Winston wrapped his legs around Monty's waist and deepened the kiss. They both pulled away to get a breath of air, when all of a sudden...

"Woah, what the fuck." Monty said as he grabbed something on the desk. He walked away from Winston and began pacing in the middle of the room.

"What?" Winston asked in annoyance and opened his eyes.

Monty was standing in front of him, holding his journal up.

"Why the fuck do you have this?" Monty's whole frame was shaking.

"Oh, shit. I-I can explain-" Winston stood up.

"You..." Monty cut him off. "You didn't read any of it, did you?"

Winston swallowed thickly, "I read a little bit."

Monty sighed, "Fuck..."

Winston blinked in confusion and then finally understood what was going on, "Oh my god, you're embarrassed that I read it."

Monty immediately shook his head, "Am not."

Winston smiled, "It's okay."

"No, it's fucking not, cause now you know all the shit that was in my head and that was private stuff-"

"Hey, hey." Winston came over to him, "I know reading the journal wasn't the right thing to do and I'm sorry about that." He apologized.

"But Monty, everything you wrote in here. I feel the same way. You're my oxygen after not being able to breathe. You're my drink of water after walking for days in a desert. And you're my peace after being at war for years." 

Winston pulled Monty close and leaned their foreheads together, "Don't ever be embarrassed in front of me. I love you. I love everything about you."

Monty's eyes were closed and he didn't say anything, so Winston wasn't sure if he understood.

"Okay?" He asked him.

Monty nodded, "Okay."

When Monty finally looked up at Winston, he smiled slightly and pressed his lips against Winston's softly.

When they pulled back, Winston smirked, "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

Monty laughed, "Yes, but tell me again."

Winston grinned, "I love you."

Monty smiled, "I love you too."

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is pretty far fetched lol, but please just go with it :)
> 
> Thanks for reading this chapter!


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